This happens all too often. It's so frustrating not to mention a waste of time. I kept saving it as I went along but couldn't find it anywhere.
So here is my rough memory of what I wrote.
I started by saying that on Wednesday I went a bit stir crazy, being inside all day whilst the rain hammered down outside. So yesterday I just had to get out and so went to Norwich with my camera to take photographs in and around Norwich Cathedral Close.
I have promised myself that I will spend a morning (or afternoon) around the area capturing some unusual angles and photos. But today I didn't have quite enough time to do that. When I got home I spent the evening doctoring the photos and adding filters and even changing some into monochrome. I have included them with this blog and hope you enjoy some of them. Some are different versions of the same shot.
It was good to see the area around the former Ferry Boat Pub is being re-developed. It has been a mess for many years. Now it looks as if it might be tidied up. When I worked half a mile away in the 1970s I used to go to the Ferry Boat regularly to play pool and darts. It was a thriving pub at that point.
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A couple of days ago I listed some phrases that annoy me. This was in reference to Radio Two DJs. I mentioned "banging" and "Shout Outs." My friend Richard e-mailed me to say that the phrase "Give It Up" annoys him intensely and I have to agree. I always associate that phrase with Dermot O'Leary - one of the celebrity DJs that annoy me. To my mind Dermot O'Leary is famous for being Dermot O'Leary in the same way that Paddy McGuinness is famous for being Paddy McGuinness.
Another of my readers said he dislikes the Steve Wright in the Afternoon show with his posse and the ridiculous "serious jockin'" slot on a Friday with DJ Silly Boy. You will need to tune in on Fridays from 4.15 pm to understand what I'm talking about. I must admit serious jockin is a nonsense. So agree with that one.
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During my trip to Norwich I went on a ramble from Carrow Road to McDonalds. I was retracing the walk of Boxing Day because that's when my grandson lost his glasses. I was hoping that somebody might have found them and popped them on a fence or wall but it was like looking for a needle in a haystack and I had no joy. I did find three masks and a glove.
He put his glasses down his coat which seems a pretty silly thing to do when he could have put them in his pocket or his bag or given them to us. They probably dropped down his coat and they fell out. Oh well such is life.
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I have a problem with post Christmas television. The main channels (BBC One and Two, ITV, Channels Four and Five) seem to have a never ending run of films. I wanted something a little more yesterday and came across the Staged version of Les Miserables. It was absolutely stunning and that's not a comment I make lightly.
The staged version is somewhere between a concert and a full dramatic show. All those taking part are in costume. There were some amazing performances from Michael Ball and Alfie Boe (these two seem to be joined at the hip) and Matt Lucas showed a side of himself that I didn't know existed.
Michael Ball was the original Marius 36 years ago. Now that he's older he has moved onto the role of Javert the police inspector. Whatever role he plays is ok with me as he's one of the very good guys in life - a very warm human being. He's one celebrity DJ on Radio Two I do enjoy listening to because he has no ego despite being so talented and seems to genuinely care for his listeners.
I have seen Les Mis (the fully staged show) three times (twice in London and once in Norwich). I was due to see it a fourth time but the show in Norwich got wiped out by the original COVID restrictions. We were due to go on the night the theatre was closed. We even got all the way to the theatre to be told that there would be no show that evening. There was no show for a very long time.
I have read the Victor Hugo book Les Miserables twice. It is as good as the stage show - a remarkable historic novel that has been translated to the stage so effectively. It is a story of hatred, love, passion, redemption, revolution, brotherhood and so much more and it works at so many different levels, just as the musical does.
People occasionally ask me what my favourite musicals are. I always put Les Mis at number one, followed by West Side Story and Carousel. Then perhaps Phantom of the Opera. I am eagerly awaiting the chance to see the new West Side Story to see how it compares with the original.
The strength of all these musicals is the powerful music. I hate what I call whiffly whaffly musicals with silly childish songs. The four I have mentioned all have amusing songs but the majority of the music is wonderful. Les Mis has so many great songs as has West Side Story and of course Carousel gave us "You'll Never Walk Alone."
I must admit watching the Les Mis staged reduced me to tears. it always does.The music is wonderfully complex and at times overpowering. Another that does that is a duet in Puccini's opera La Boheme. I have a La Boheme story from a visit to the Czech Republic but I will relate that another time.
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I hope you have enjoyed my re-written blog. The original was much better but you'll never know whether that's true or not. I hope you enjoy the attached photos of Norwich as well.
Final random comment: If I was being cynical I might suggest that the shortage of COVID test kits might be a move by the Government to force a drop in positive figures. But I'm not that cynical.
Final final random comment: Why do they follow the weather on BBC One with the weather?