Ross and I have been attending sessions with the Family Counselling team for a while now. One of the things that we have talked about is how we have gotten out of the habit of going out together and should try to do it a lot more.
As a silly little strategy, we got together a sort of Lucky Dip of places of interest in the locality and, for our first choice out of the selection, found ourselves going to Saint Helen's Well.
I'm not sure what I was expecting. The site is clearly labelled on Google maps. What I suppose I wasn't expecting was that the (short) approach from the road would be completely overgrown with this year's weeds. Ha
Anyhow, like some Victorian explorer of old, I thrashed my way through the undergrowth to clear a path for Ross, who was off his wheelchair and onto his sticks. The actual well was underwhelming and certainly not presented and celebrated in any way. However, there was a minor sense of achievement for us both and so we went for a drink at The Punchbowl in the village of Sefton.
Maybe it was the excitement - who can tell - but Ross had another medical emergency with his asthma. Ambulance called then GP surgery the following day. His blood pressure normal was back to normal having been a bit erratic the previous day though the paramedic we felt that may have been down to the equipment. Certainly, the airflow to both of his lungs was fine once more - the right had sounded constricted but was cleared. Ross was greatly relieved but felt tired. I just wonder what would happen if ever I should need emergency treatment.
Not long after, I went out on my own into Liverpool to stock up on a few items - Holland and Barrett for vitamin pills to see me through the 19/20 winter flu season, Body Shop for a new bottle of Activiste Eau de Toilette and then Mattas for cashews and almonds.
It seemed only right to take a mid afternoon repast of sherry, ham and bread at Lunya.
I find this photograph quite sad really. Extreme right of the photo is Trent Alexander-Arnold whose career progresses steadily with success following success. Second in from the left is Ben Woodburn who seemed to have the world before him after he scored his first senior goal for Liverpool on 29 November 2016 in an EFL Cup quarter-final match against Leeds United at the age of 17 years and 45 days, bettering Michael Owen's record by 98 days. Since then there has been a succession of false starts and dashed hopes.
And here is the Queen Mary II seen here leaving Liverpool and going out to the Irish Sea.
Through the good offices of Marquee, I have tackled the recent RSC traversal of the second tetralogy of history plays starting with Richard II
David Tennant really is a chameleon of an actor. His Richard II is an extraordinary creation - a man child quite divorced from day-to-day realities. He ends his days not as a sainted figure but as a cornered rat desperately trying to maintain existence against assault.
I liked the way that the production allowed the colour to drain out of the medieval panoply of Richard's court until it was supplanted by the brutal, crushing greys of the Bollingbroke military machine.
Henry IV Parts I and II
I enjoyed the energy of these to shows. The low life scenes were excellent and the history narrative was given due panoply without resorting to Hollywood.
The one problem with Antony Sher's excellent performance as Falstaff was that it sounded exactly like his King Lear. He has a sort of fruity, gurgling rasp that sounds as though his voice has been marinaded in Highland Whisky and Havana Cigars.
With Henry V, the trilogy came to a conclusion in fine style. All were Greg Doran productions and were a big company achievement. There was excellence in depth among the ensemble.
There was a nice sense of the late Medieval without straining for historical accuracy. After all, for those textual purists,
Shakespeare is anachronistic. Canon and siege guns were in use in the 14th Century: firearms aren't around in Europe much until late 15th/early 16th Century. Pistol couldn't have had a rifle or a handgun.