Way out West (incorporating Way up North)

life in the rhubarb triangle

Greetings from an unusually sunny Wakefield, apologies for the sporadic nature of my blogging of late, but, as I may have previously indicated, I have been quite busy.

I write this from the prompt corner of a dark and deserted theatre, the show has, in fact, gone in remarkably smoothly and painlessly, and if it didn't have actors in it, would have been a complete doddle. Bouncers is a piece of intentionally popular theatre, written originally for the drama school at Bretton Hall (just outside Wakefield). Indeed, last night I overheard one of our preview audience of 15 year old's expounding knowledgeably about it being based on 'Bubbles in Pontefract*'. The show explores the drinking culture of the only just old enough, and part of the gag is that all parts are played by the same four men, who are dressed as night club bouncers. All I can say about it as a work of literature, is that it leaves no cliche unexplored, having said that, it is a viciously funny and blissfully short evening.

When you step outside the Theatre Royal and Opera House (to give it its full title), incidentally the smallest theatre designed by Frank Matcham, you fall straight into the nightmare that is Wakefields booze zone, large (very large) and imposing Victorian and Edwardian civic buildings, symbolic of the days when the local prosperity was based on wool and coal, are now eviscerated and plastered with neon, and troupes of shrieking semi-naked teenagers wobble up and down the road, lurching from one themed bar to the next. The only food available after 8.00 pm is kebabs, fried chicken or pizza, it's not a very cheering experience.

That being said, when I stayed in Nottingham last weekend, I found the perfect touring companion (See Ill.), now I will never again be without that little extra bit of piquancy in my dinner, Tabasco is not my favourite chilli sauce, but it is a good stalwart, and the convenience of the tiny little emergency bottle makes it a winner.

*I made the name up, can't remember which club she said it was, just that it was in Pontefract. It occurs to me that as John Godber (the playwright) is coming to the opening tonight, I could ask him, probably won't though.

posted by Lampy @ 3/23/2006 11:04:00 am 0 comments

badgers

While I've been off playing with kites* in rural Bucks, I have gradually become aware that behind the barn in which my technical ministrations were taking place was a small building site. As the barn is very new(although the average age of the rest of the buildings are 400 years+), I wasn't very surprised, or even very interested, and dismissed it from my thoughts.

It was only when someone made a reference to 'the badgers set' that the penny finally dropped; the area occupied is huge, about 75' by 20' and there are great hummocks of earth thrown up, tree roots exposed and so on. It really looks like Darren the builder has left the job, and will be back next week, honest, just to tidy up, like. Apparently there are between 12 and 18 badgers in there, curious to think that they are living within 20' of my workbench, I have half a mind to set up a camera (we have the technology), there is a security light on all through the night, so they must have got used to it by now.

I'm back there next week, so maybe I'll suggest it.

Next thrilling episode will contain stuff about Bouncers at Wakefield (Rhubarb capital of the UK), but for now, horrid snot ridden cold is sending me to my cot.

*That's Red Kites, apparently there are more than 1000 breeding pairs in the Chilterns now, a massively successful re-introduction. I can reliably see 10-20 individuals as I drive up the M40 to work of a morning.

posted by Lampy @ 3/08/2006 10:17:00 pm 2 comments