Ready, Steady, Ainsley

This is the post that I'd been meaning to right since I got sick. On Saturday the 11th the hubby, my mum and I went to watch Ainsley Harriot give a cooking demostration as part of the Mediterranean Food Festival. Both mum and the hubby love 'Ready, Steady, Cook' and I don't mind it at all, so we were all looking forward to it.

And what can I say but... what a super-professional he was! And a great comic too - he was amazing fun (and quite a lot naughtier than he would have been allowed to be on the BBC!) and he had to be, what with the 'celebrity' local chefs they supplied him with. I mean really... they had absolutely NO charisma (Terry Pratchett calls it charismn't) and answered mostly in words of one syllable, when we could hear them. Thank goodness TV presenters Clare Aguis and Ray Calleja added some much needed fun or Ainsley might have gone away from Malta thinking that we were all as dull as dishwater!

Anyway, ten minutes or so into the cooking demo, the lights go off. Yes, the lights lighting up the stage where Ainsley, chefs, Clare and Ray are suddenly go off. And they stay off. Someone eventually hands Ainsley a torch. Yes, a torch. Ainsley shines the torch on his face and remarks that no-one can see him in the dark because he is black... and cracks everyone up. The technical people try to fix the problem. The problem remains unfixed. I want to find a little hole and crawl into it. Twenty minutes or so later, there is still no light on stage (and the cameras that were to project the cooking demo on a large screen are not working either, as is the screen). They manage to get some light on Ainsley and Co but we can barely see. But he bravely goes on, still making us laugh and being the professional he is.

Eventually, they lights come on - hurrah! But the ovens aren't working so the chefs can't use these essential tools. Besides, ony one electricity extension is working, so they have to share it to use the liquidiser. And the people using the cameras still haven't figured out that they are mainly there to show us what the chefs are cooking as this is a cooking demonstation. So we are regaled mostly to the view of Ainsley's back and to this day, I have no idea what the chefs actually cooked. It all smelled wonderful though!

Oooooh, at one point, Ainsley came to the row where the hubby and I were sitting to interview a fluffy old lady next to us and passed right in front of me! So now, the next time I watch 'Ready, Steady, Cook', I can casually remark to myself and anyone else who may be listening (probably the cats!) that I touched Ainsley's trousers. So there!

To cough or not to cough...

... aaaaaaaaaaaaand she's back! After a week and a half of absolute HORROR (ie) the worst 'flu I've had for over four years, I finally feel human enough to blog again. I swear, I was so utterly sick this time that I had moments when I thought my body just couldn't take it any more and would explode into a million tiny pieces. On the day I got sick (two Sundays ago), I woke up and just couldn't move. And my brain wouldn't work. It was awful. Apparently it was the fever that made me feel like that. I was delirious. At one point I apparently told the hubbie that I was dying. Maybe not, but I felt like I was!

He was so sweet, he brought me panadols and cough medicine all day but at about 6 'o clock, I was still just as bad so he called the doctor who diagnosed ze fluuuuuu (not avian) and more panadols and cough medicine ,as well as something to soothe my aching joints. Anyway, as the days went on, the cold started to get a bit better, although I must have gone through miles of tissues, plus kitchen paper towels when I ran out of Kleenex, and then loo paper - you name it, I blew my nose in it hehehe!

And, speaking about my nose - yuk and triple yuk! It was a bit like Joseph's amazing technicolour dreamcoat - red and green and yellow... and crusty! Hehehe that might be a bit too much information for some of you eh?!!

On Friday (St Patrick's Day), I finally ventured to school. One of my students told me 'Miss, don't you know it's St Patrick's Day? You should be wearing something green!" As I turned my horrible blotched face, with its horrible red, flaky nose to face him, I solemnly told him "Yes, my snot is green" to a chorus of laughs and lots of "Yaqqqq, miss!"

Anyway, a few days ago, that dreaded cough arrived. You know which cough - the one where you sound like a barking dog. I got the most awful coughing fits, and I now really know the meaning of the word 'uncontrollable'. I just couldn't stop. Tears streaming out of my eyes, body doubled up in pain, chest screaming with the exertion... the worst bout happen last Saturday (when I was meant to be at a hen's party, thank goodness I decided it would be foolish for my health to go). I tried to get some sleep at about 10.30 pm... I coughed my guts out till 3 am and only got some shut-eye at about 3.30 am. Then at 9 am, I was up coughing again - HORRIBLE!

Since yesterday though, it's been a bit better, and I know can go about 5 hours without coughing - yay! Anyway, now spring has officially started (YAYAYAYAY!), hopefully I should be alright!

The Holy Hee

Yes, I'm sick again - this time the doctor tells me that it's the 'real thing' (a very bad bout of influenza) but I should be better in a couple of days time. In the meantime, I'm so weak that I could hardly make it up the stairs, let alone type a nice long entry... so until I feel a bit better, regale yourselves with this!

I'll be back...

Don't miss it.

The hubby and I were invited to watch the preview of Theatre Anon's adaptation of Steven Berkoff's 'Agamemnon' last Saturday at the MITP in Valletta. This is a highly unique production which is also very enjoyable (although if, like the hubby, you do not have much knowledge of Greek myth/history, I'd advise you to read the programme before the start of the play!)

You can watch 'Agamemnon' next Friday, Saturday and Sunday, as well as the weekend after. It comes highly recommended by.... me!

These things really DO only happen to me. Right?

I've been meaning to write this post for days but have been so busy that I just couldn't find the time. How is it that my whole day is always accounted for by something? Every time I think I have 5 minutes free, something crops up, or I realise that I've forgotten to do something etc etc. I need a break. But have just realised that technically (since I am using up my Easter holiday to get the blessed bathroom installed), my next really free day is in August. Hmmmmmmm...

Anyway, enough of the moaning. Let's talk about the Stagecoach Malta Drama Camp I had last weekend/half-term. Basically, Stage 3 Stagecoach students spent a fun-filled three days from Sunday to Tuesday with teachers (moi, drama teacher Toni, dance teacher Emma and music teacher Matt) and Stagecoach Principals (Edward and Marika) at Mount St Joseph near Mosta, and what a blast it was! The place is really cool with ensuite bathrooms , lovely grounds full of trees, a beautiful view and fantastic food - chicken legs, curry, cake for tea-time, ice cream and much more - yum!. And when the kids were in bed, it was time for the prinjolata and choccie cakes of course! At one point Matt turned to me and said "Do you realise that today we have already eaten 7 times?!" It was then that I resolved to goon a diet... in April!

During the day, we thought up games for the kids and Toni gave a brilliant talk on Commedia Dell'Arte which I am going to shamelessly poach for my lessons. Matt and Emma also devised a little song about Stagecoach Malta teacher to the tune of 'I like the way you move' which was a hilarious success. On Saturday evening, the kids performed bits, songs and dances from musicals for us. And on the Tuesday morning, we (the 'adults'!) even put up a short mystery murder play as a surprise for the kids which we had rehearsed a few times. It went better than expected - we all dressed up and put on make up and it was really fun. Insomma, it was all a great success.

You know, in things like this, there is always something that people remember even years later. And this time, I am doubtlessly going to be very involved in this long-lasting memory.

I had decided not to sleep over since I only live 8 minutes away (yes, I timed it). So on the Sunday evening, after the kids had gong to bed exhausted, the rest of us went into a room where we could keep an eye and ear open for any shennanigans, and we settled down to munch on the wonderful prinjolata provided by Emma's fiance and the goodies provided by one of the mummies. At about 1 am, I decided it was time for me to go home, so Marika came to the front door with me.

We get to the front door. It's locked. There is no key. A few stunned moments later, Edward and the rest come downstairs. We tell them about the situation. They guffaw hysterically (but quietly so as not to wake the kids up). Toni comes up with the bright idea of me climbing out of his (ground floor) window. We all run to his room. We open the window. The window has bars in front of it. The others all laugh hysterically with tears in their eyes. I start wishing I'd brought at least my PJ's and toothbrush.

Someone then suggests climbing out of the window of the meeting room. We all run to the other side of the building. The windows there are not barred but the gap is really small. I wonder if I can fit after eating all that prinjolata. I make it, barely. By now the hysterical laughter from the others has intensified greately. Someone hands me my bag and I run to my car. Where is my car? I've gone the wrong way. I finally find my car. As I try to fit the car key into the door, I hear loud barking coming my way. "Oh my God, they have guard dogs", squeaks my by-now demented brain. I cant find the bloody lock in the pitch darkness. I finally manage and get into my car with a sigh of relief. As I drive out of the car park and on to the private ring road, I see adorable two little doggies with collars, presumingly adopted by the Jesuits who run the place, playing in the fields.

I keep on driving and come to a... closed gate. Just as I am about to turn back in despair, they start opening veeeeeery slowly. By this time, I am also laughing hysterically. I manage to squeeze past the half-open gate. I drive home.

The next day I turn up at Mount St Joseph at 9 am (for breakfast). The others are having tea and toast. They turn to me and laugh. Edward informs me that the priests told him that the front door was not locked at all but merely fastened at the top, which I would have noticed had I bothered to check more carefully. I am now sure that I am a laughing stock in the Jesuit community.

These things really do only happen to me. Right?

If I ever had any doubt at all...

... that Quentin Tarantino is a genius, well now I know for sure. He is.

Yesterday I saw the second half of the final episode of series 6 of CSI (Crime Scene Investigation') called 'Grave Danger' which Tarantino wrote and directed. Now, the whole series has been excellent but somehow, Tarantino managed to get something special out of the actors. They've always been good, but in this double episode they were excellent. That's what having a fantastic script and genius director does to you I guess!

The plot was amazing and there was a twist in the first half that I never saw coming (rather unusually for me!). Oh and there was a special appearance by the legendary Tony Curtis - an absolute brilliant casting coup! But, more than that, I was so impressed by the way that Tarantino developed the characters that I have been watching for years. In this particular episode, I learnt more about the emotions and lives of both the main and secondary characters, than I have learnt over the whole fifth series. Although I must say that enjoyed the whole series very much... especially the yummy Gary Dourdan who plays CSI Warrick Brown (look him up - it's worth oit just for his pic!)

Anyway, that was some brilliant TV and I'm so glad I got to watch it.