Tony Earnshaw's Blog, page 15

Friday thoughts

A conference room deigned for social distancing

Inspired by a news item that seemed to indicate, however cautiously, that President Trump’s chances of being reelected might be fatally damaged by his handling of the crisis, I scribbled down a few other bits of good news. No mention of Boris, but maybe…

Silver linings

Email traffic is diminishing

I can’t go clothes shopping

I’ve more time for finishing

the novel I’m in

I’m hearing no aircraft

But birdsong instead

There’s been a marked increase

In tea drinking in bed

And here’s what’s exciting

Which I normally lack

Less distractions from writing

And more time to play sax

And more than all that

Without any doubt

There’s an increasing chance

Trump’s on his way out

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And now we’re in lockdown…

A new phase and a new routine. Gone are the slightly awkward elbow bumps and uncertainties. Now we know what we should be doing and can get used to the new way of life – hoping it doesn’t go on for too long, recognising it will be longer than we want.

I still haven’t written much in the last week or so. A few ideas, that’s all. Still haven’t got round to Facebook or Amazon marketing and so on – I really need to do that. I have arranged to chat with someone who has some experience so there’s an excuse for delay right there.

What I have been doing is setting up Skype and Zoom calls, Facetiming the family, playing a little music (too little) and connecting with others – Facebook groups, WhatsApp. I’ve also been on the hunt for kitchen roll, eggs and long life skimmed milk – which, for various reasons, is what we always use, always have in stock, but which seems unavailable at the moment. Given how many people turn their noses up at it generally, I find the sudden popularity a little surprising. I guess this will all settle down.

So what have I learnt? That there are any number of Skype alternatives and everyone has their pet provider. That you can take part in a virtual choir practice, although pitching in isolation from other members can be challenging, that people want to pull together by whatever means they can, and that face to face meetings can be replaced. And that some things I take for granted are immensely valuable – the ability to sit in the garden, the places of peace round about (one of which is pictured) and the joy of the morning dog walk.

Over the next few days I will be singing Haydn’s Nelson Mass from the comfort of my study, as part of my choir – a slightly surreal replacement for the concert we had planned, planning a Mystery Play for a now uncertain date, hosting a Skype meeting of a dozen or so poets, and trying to find time for the things I’ve been putting off. Not quite the bored expanse of inactivity I might have anticipated.

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Day Five

Holmwood Common

Walking on the common this morning it struck me that my life tends to revolve around commitments, diary entries, planned get togethers. I was going through the mental process of regretting the loss of concerts, theatre trips, a planned visit to the Hay festival, get togethers with friends and so on, while being aware that these things pale in significance compared to threats to health and livelihood, when it occurred to me that I now have an empty diary. No thinking ahead to what the week will bring, no anticipation, ‘wishing your life away’ as my grandmother used to say.

That sounds like a prelude to misery, and certainly I’ll be delighted to get back to that life, but I felt strangely at peace with it. Time to reflect and be creative, to see what benefit can be derived from an enforced change, and how that might impact the future.

I was looking at one of the ponds (pictured) – much of the common is a quagmire with lots of lying water and small ponds. The mud and clay mean the ponds are not very inviting, except to dogs, but there’s a whole ecosystem there about which my knowledge is very limited. To my eyes it looked a mess – the photo is flattering – but from the mess springs life. Maybe over the next few weeks I’ll find out more about that life.

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Day Three

This social distancing business is more time consuming than you’d think. After the fine plans of all the activity in the free time, just organising it seems to fill the day. Probably this is because we’re both in self isolation, having gone down with something which may or may not be Covid19. We’ll probably never know. However, health is slowly improving and my version of it hasn’t been bad enough to stop me walking the dog and so on.

The image above is the tree I see from my study window. A constant in normal times and in these. A venerable oak, unaffected by our concerns. Yesterday it looked on, unconcerned, as I discussed theatre issues, cancellations, and on line options to replace meetings; as we tested a skype approach to Poetry Stanzas, and as I exchanged news and wishes with friends and family. I’ll be watching in turn as the leaves come and we move towards summer, even if we’re still constrained by events.

Today’s tasks include agreeing time lines for our Mystery Play, protocols for the Skype Poetry meeting, and maybe a bit of writing. And walking the dog of course. More anon.

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Cancellations and opportunities

The sea at Ferring

This feels like day one of a new regime. Lots of new rules to observe, even if they’re presented as advice. Cut out social interaction, avoid the pub, no gatherings, self isolate where symptoms present. And more still for the over 70s and those with health problems. So where do we go from here?

Yesterday here was spent agonising over decisions to cancel – concerts, rehearsals, meetings of poetry groups, jazz get togethers. Much of the agonising turned out to be unnecessary as the clear advice from the government, announced later in the day, was to cancel. A difficult day, but more so for family members who are over 70 or who have big birthday celebrations which will now have to be delayed. And all the time, the background noise is that we can’t grumble because we’re not ill, not needing respiration, not at risk. So, time to regroup, rest with a glass of wine and a film.

This morning, having cleared the diary, I’ve now filled it up again with projects I can do from my desk – a list as long as your arm. Top of the list is to write more, including more blogs. A record of how we get through the next few weeks or months. The challenges and the opportunities. My personal challenges include getting to grips with the clarinet and soprano sax; taking action on on line advertising for Blessed Assurance (which I’ve been putting off for months); making virtual meetings and virtual music sessions work; finishing play rewrites; and starting the next book.

Besides all this, there are shows to plan, a Mystery Play timed for September to consider, newsletters to write and much more. This afternoon’s activities include mending the compost bin and clearing leaves out of the pond. So it’s not boredom or inactivity that worries me so much as social isolation. I’ll be working on how to avoid that too.

Stay safe and well!

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Transgression rewarded

Poetry and music – perfect combination

Last night I transgressed. I slipped out of my choir rehearsal half way through so I could get to most of the Get The Blessing/John Hegley gig at Watermill Jazz Club. All I can say in my defence is – it was worth it!

As a jazz fan and a poet I could hardly resist a combination of the two and I’ve always had a particular weakness for the style of poetry which he embodies. Incisive, entertaining, hiding the craft behind accessibility, and performative. Dry humour, audience participation, sharp observation and a gift for rhythm and rhyme allied to the ability to avoid being taken prisoner by it. His interaction with the band was a delight – clearly to them as well as the audience. And when he took a back seat and the band took over, what a wealth of rhythm there too, allied to some fine playing on sax and trumpet and skilful use of electronics.

The evening reminded me again about the wealth of creativity I wrote about last week and how often we ‘Get The Blessing’. Yesterday I was involved in planning a Mystery Play with Damn Cheek for the summer – in Gateshead (more on this anon). Last night was singing Haydn followed by the gig. Tomorrow is our dinner theatre show based on my novel Blessed Assurance with a fine of group of actors and musicians, and so it goes on. And next Tuesday I’m skiving again – it’s not every day the Brubeck brothers come to town.

(And if you’re wondering, the dinner theatre is March 5th (tomorrow as I write this) at the Stepping Stones pub in West Humble, near Dorking. Starts 7.15. Book on 01306 889932.)

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Highs and lows

Last weekend we had a family trip to see Matilda the Musical. Three generations of Roald Dahl fans enjoyed it hugely, not least the younger generation. One of the things that struck me, as one of the older members of the group, was the very contemporary relevance of some of the points Dahl was making.

He held up to ridicule Matilda’s parents for their scorn of books and learning, their philosophy that the television was king, and that knowledge wasn’t necessary if you just shouted loud enough. They sounded uncannily like some of the people we have elected to govern us – here in the UK, in the US and elsewhere. It felt frightening that these are the people with the upper hand at the moment. In the show they don’t win out – let’s hope the same is true in life.

Another sobering moment was reading some of the activities of extremist groups, not least holocaust denying groups which include both far right and far left members, united in their anti semitism. Have we learnt nothing? For some of us, this appears to be true. At least we have groups like Hope not Hate monitoring and making us aware of the nature of these groups and the threat they pose.

Shafts of light into this gloom were provided by Tony Marcoff who delivered a moving talk entitled ‘the gospel of flowers‘ to this week’s gathering of Mole Valley Poets. It was not just the insights of poets from around the world and across the centuries that inspired, although that was part of it. It was also the observation that there appears to be an outpouring of creativity. More and more people writing poetry. More people writing books and plays. More and more artists. This is largely anecdotal of course, although there are some measurable increases – in haiku writing for example. A healthy counterbalance to what appears to be the prevailing culture.

And artistic endeavour is important. As we face the climate crisis and despair of our politicians we can find hope elsewhere. In grass roots movements, in individual action, in technological advancement, and in the awareness raising and soul stirring potential of poetry, drama, the visual arts.

I came away feeling a degree of much needed encouragement, able to focus once more on current preoccupations, which include preparing for a mystery play in Gateshead, getting ready for the next outing of my dinner theatre show based on my novel Blessed Assurance (next Thursday, 5th March at the Stepping Stones, West Humble) and doing some rewrites on my next play. There is beauty despite the difficulties around us, and we can appreciate it – maybe it can even change things. In the words of one of the more celebrated haiku poets, Issa (1763-1827)

in this world

we walk on the roof of hell

& view the flowers

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Pointing the way

A month in and it still feels like a new year. Partly because of politics, although that also feels like the same old stuff. Partly because of pure busyness. Every January is the same. A few days of idleness followed by everything kicking off at once. So this feels like a good time to look forward, take stock, put down a few markers.

First, and not only to get it out of the way, the politics. We’ve somehow managed to agree to throw away our economic advantages, our position of influence and a myriad of protections for the environment, food safety, and working conditions in order to pretend we’re an imperial power again. And we have a PM who appears set on making all this as needlessly painful as it can be. But, it’s going to happen – very slowly in practice but it will happen. So what to do?

It seems to me that we need to focus on three things, these being the climate emergency (pressurising our politicians to take the necessary steps), protecting our most valuable institutions (the NHS, the BBC, our schools) and protecting our food standards. So, for me, the emphasis is on issues and not party politics. A party political system which throws up a choice between Corbyn and Johnson as PM feels tarnished, no longer fit for purpose, and out of touch. In truth, while part of the Brexit debacle was the feeling that Brussels is a long way away, so is Westminster for most people, and Westminster has steadily pulled power away from local government and into the centre. That needs to be reversed.

Enough of politics. What about the rest? For me, renewed focus on Damn Cheek Productions as we look to take provocative shows to venues around the country and to grow the offering. We met with our new group of trustees last week and it feels like a very positive move forward. Renewed support for the work of Terrestrial in the West Country – another day of positivity with the team a couple of weeks ago. And more writing.

Blessed Assurance has taken on a second life as dinner theatre and I’m becoming a speaking novelist as I visit groups to talk about the book, to read and to discuss. Very little politics in the book, but plenty of philosophical argument, plenty of relationship stuff, of angst and redemption. The next dinner theatre outing is on 5th March at The Stepping Stones pub in West Humble and cast, band and mine host Tina are all looking forward to it – and to taking bookings! 01306 889932.

Life as a playwright continues and The Door has another outing on Friday 7th February at the Yvonne Arnaud in Guildford. (https://www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk/produ... ). Over ten years now and still going down a storm. While this is going on I continue to work on Preparing for Power, my new political farce. Watch this space!

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Such stuff as dreams are made on

The River Mole near Leatherhead

I went to a funeral on Friday. Not the most promising start to a blog perhaps, but bear with me, it was uplifting. Sad, yes. A too early death of a very special person. Steph was talented, engaged, engaging. I could go on. But, and here’s the uplifting bit, it was her positive qualities that shone through in the various tributes and conversations. Here was a life worth celebrating, and one which set an example for others.

Those qualities included her zest for life, her ability to connect and her active involvement with others in the community as well as her talent and her love for her family. I was reminded of another funeral, a little under a year ago, for another friend who had supported, listened, understood so many. The loss of these two women is a blow to many but the impact they had, and continue to have will have lasting effects. All of which made me think about priorities, about friendships, and about joy.

The Shakespeare quote at the top if this blog was a favourite of Steph’s and it seems apposite. In The Tempest, Prospero goes on to say “and our little lives are rounded with a sleep’ but I was struck by the implied challenge to dream, to strive to realise those dreams, to make the most of our ‘little lives’. We were remembering a friend whose zest for life was infectious and inclusive. It was a reminder to me, not just to seize the day, but to take an interest, to be catholic in those interests and to engage with those around me. It felt a little like a belated but more meaningful New Years resolution.

So, on with the motley. More writing, playing, performing. More singing. More encouraging and mentoring. More positivity. There are issues to tackle, people to support, plays, poems and books to write. Let’s do it.

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Dinner theatre returns

No sooner had I shared the latest about The Door than I had final confirmation of the next dinner theatre event. We staged a special dinner theatre evening based on Blessed Assurance back in October at Dorking’s White Horse hotel. The productions a joint effort between Damn Cheek Productions and the Greensand Band and the reception was enthusiastic, with many of those in the audience almost demanding that we tour the show. So, our next step is a repeat, this time at the Stepping Stones pub in West Humble, on Thursday 5th March, another chance to see what the fuss was about.

The evening features a welcome drink, a meal, and the theatrical and musical event presented in two halves between main course and dessert. Guests will arrive around 7pm for the welcome drink, the performance will start at 7.30pm and the main courses will be ready to eat as guests head for the dining tables during the interval.

In this exciting and unique event local writer Tony Earnshaw, alongside a stellar cast, and the Greensand Band providing music, hosts an evening of dramatic readings from his novel as you enjoy fine food and wine in this intimate venue. Friendship, love, betrayal and forgiveness. It’s all there. Signed copies of the book also available at a special discount.

The all in price for the evening is £32.50. You can also book for performance only at £17.50 if you choose. Book your seats now, direct with the Stepping Stones on 01306 889932 or via email steppingstonespub@gmail.com

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