Thursday 6th - Summer

I am well aware that I have not posted to this blog for a couple of months. This is not through lack of things to report, or lack of travel, but a lack of being able to sit down and think of anything particularly interesting on which to reflect.

Nevertheless, my summer has been characterised by relationships - whether it be my own, or the variety of rehearsals and weddings I've attended. Yes, we have been to five weddings together as a couple and they've been very enjoyable - from the standard 'church and hotel' affair to a beautiful (if swelteringly hot) costume evening in Texas, from a small registry office do in Bicester to a large church and marquee wedding in Exeter. It was the fourth in the series that was something of a polyglot wedding, being held bilingually in Welsh and English (and with added extra Hebrew and Greek), where I was honoured to be 'father of the bride' - a role I thought I'd never have for a variety of reasons.

Outside of all these matrimonial celebrations (and the questions of whether we'd be next) it's been interesting to note how your mood and what you bring to something can visibly affect the whole. To whit, when you come to a rehearsal not knowing what to expect and pulling back slightly, which I did when I started the latest theatre show, then the whole room was sluggish and suspicious, however on days when I bounced in with lots of energy, things were galvanised. It really does make a difference what each and every person brings to a table in terms of their mood and thought process.

Contrast that therefore with starting in schools, being presented with a classful of eager faces looking up at you intently - they can smell your fear should you have any. No time to feel nervous, you've got to get in there and go. It was very alarming that even the very thought of going into a primary schools and telling stories would give me such an awful fright and keep me so awake for nights on end - but that's where it's great to push the boundaries of your own feelings and fears, but that will bring me to a future post. But that's been my summer - all about what's brought to the table, and making decisions.