42 inches of pure pleasure

Greetings ladies and gents.

I'm BACK again. Sorry about the hiatus, but it's been a busy one, particularly with this business of starting a brand new job. And I'm pleased to report that side of things seems to be going well. The college is a very nice environment indeed (gosh for a supposed English teacher I really do need to come up with some more imaginative vocabulary), my new work colleagues have been welcoming, supportive and fun, there's loads of excellent resources in the college, including some very impressive IT packages they use for both teachers and staff and they also use interactive whiteboards which are ultra cool! The one thing I haven't actually done yet after being nearly there for nearly two weeks is TEACH! So far it's been mainly student enrolment and preparing lessons, schemes of work etc. I also managed to get out of having a tutor group which was a pretty good respite as apparently there's a lot of extra work involved in that (a colleague of mine described me as "jammy" which isn't too far from the truth!) I feel like I've had to assimilate enough as it is, so I can't say I'm sorry about that particular development. Anyway lessons proper start next Tuesday so fingers crossed ... I am feeling a touch nervous I will admit. Pray for me, good people of the Bloggersphere!

I had a nice (that insipid word again) time in Weston Super Mare, although I didn't do very much atall, just relax at our friends and eat, drink and watch TV. Watched Goldmember, the third Austin Powers movie, and realised it wasn't actually very funny. Watched Batman Begins (as a precursor for when I eventually get to see the much-praised Dark Knight) which was much better than Goldmember (well, they are rather different different kinds of movies, yeah ...) (And oddly enough, last night I watched the 1960s Batman movie, which was hilarious for all the wrong reasons ... )

Also took a walk on Weston's pier, which, despite the recent fire, is at least partially still intact. On the way I encountered some strangely familiar creatures ...

So that's what eating too many hot dogs and chips does to you in Weston ...

Oh My GOD!! The Dalek Invasion of Weston! Could the evil pepperpots be the ones responsible for the fire on the pier? Okay, that was a little bit tasteless ...

Proof that I ain't scared of no goddam Dalek. Mind you, the barrier between us does kind of help to allay that fear...

But look at the wreck at the end of the pier above ... sad eh. Still at least the whole thing didn't burn down.

I'm still carrying on with the driving lessons, although they haven't been that regular. I must step up their regularity as I don't want to get out of touch and want the driving thing to start feeling more natural and instinctive! I just feel SO scared about going on a big, open, busy road. Oh just DO IT Simone! Okay, okay, I will... And Gustavo and I have purchased a flat screen TV!! Just like the one above. Cost rather a lot but we went for one of those "Buy now, pay in 6 months time" deals, so it should be alright. I have to say in some respects I wasn't bothered about getting one before, but now I've definitely seen the light. It looks and sounds amazing. Like having a mini cinema in your home. And in our cathedral-sized lounge I now perceive that purchasing a 42 incher (as it were) was a definite necessity. Prisoner Cell Block H has never looked better...

Talking of which ... I just CAN'T resist telling you about the latest developments on the Wentworth front ...

Any vacancies for a moustached clone in a women's prisoner, governor? Oh. So Freddie Mercury's filled the post already ...

Male moustached Deputy governor and sex god Jim Fletcher has arrived at Wentworth, a seemingly odd, not to mention, rather bad-tempered and dysfunctional sort of chap. However we soon find that not only has he split from his wife, she's also denied him access to their kids PLUS he's still traumatised by his experiences while serving as a soldier in Vietnam, leading to lots of tortured soliloquies and downing endless whiskeys in bars. Poor bugger, as Lizzie would say. Unfortunately the ladies what lunch at Wentworth aren't too enamoured with Jimbo from the outset, branding him "Fletch the Letch" i.e. a bit of a perv in general. However as Mr F stays in the programme for at least another 200 episodes, I'd wager he has a bit more dramatic mileage in him yet.

Warder Meg is dating resident prison Dr and sex-god Greg Miller, and having to suffer various mocking comments from prison inmates and staff alike in the process, not to mention dirty looks from ex girlfriend Karen Travers. The sultry Ms Travers has now been allowed to go on day release to university, whilst being wooed by hot-shot lawyer and sex god Steve Wilson, but that doesn't really go anywhere ... then in classic "Prisoner" (if not soap opera) style Steve's character vanishes into thin air never to be mentioned again ... ho-hum.

Meanwhile Queen Bea is back inside having been dobbed in to the police by a devious teenage girl - played by one of actress Val Lehman's own daughters no less - hope that's not her REAL persona - the rotten biiiiiiiiiitch!!

Classy Clara Goddard has been shipped off to another prison and whiney and winsome Lynn Warner is finally about to released from Wentworth (again!), both departures causing Wentworth's dopey dumpling, Doreen, much distress. Dor doesn't have much self-esteem you see and tends to cling on to others for comfort and support ... she even tries to frame Lynn for stealing pills from the prison dispensary, in order that her release gets delayed and she stays in prison longer to keep her company ... silly girl.

No Doreen, I don't have any kiwi and cinnamon facial scrub. This is the best on offer, you sneak! You drongo!!

And when Lynn finds out she's none too happy and gives Doreen the mud-pack treatment (and we're not talking Body Shop style ... )

Home and Awaaaaaay ... with you each daaaaaay .... Alf? Where are you? Oh! So the actor who plays you turns up in Prisoner three times does he? Well, I never did!

And Ailsa from Home and Away has also turned up as an inmate, with a secret stash of cash that everyone wants to get their hands on!

JOY!!

Have a fabulous weekend and week after, my lovelies ...

OC xx

Finito Bonito

I have now officially finished my job at the University. Last Thursday lunch time in fact.

And I am sorry?

Am I f*ck.

I shall refrain from saying anything else overly negative but let's just say I'm glad that chapter in my life is now over and I'm moving onto something else. Very glad indeed.

Next Tuesday I start my new teaching job. Unfortunately I used up most of my leave in my last position so haven't been able to take a major break in between jobs, much as I would have liked to do that. However as I write this, I am currently in Weston Super-Mare, on a mini-holiday staying with some mates of mine and Gustavo, so that's something. Weather is not so great here but it's good to breathe some REAL air and chill a bit ... just been for a walk in the town centre and on the pier, which is only half its former glory now, due to the recent fire which burnt up many of its amusements (sob!)

I haven't had any more driving lessons yet. Last week's was cancelled but I'm due to have a double one next week. I've also started reading The Official DSA Theory Test. Woo-hooo! So many questions and so much remember, although I have to say, quite a lot is common sense, thankfully. Some of it doesn't seem to have any rhyme or reason to it though, for example, how exactly are you supposed to calculate the stopping/braking distance according to the speed you are driving at? Is there some kind of mathematical formulae for working this out? You can hardly whip out a calculator whilst you're driving can you? Anyone care to enlighten me?! Anyway thanks for all your good wishes re: the driving stuff, 'tis appreciated.

I've also been getting seriously embroiled in the world of Wentworth aka Prisoner Cell Block H. And my hubbie is slowly falling under the influence too. Just a PERFECT way to unwind at the end of the day! We're just finished viewing episode 35. Only 657 installments to go.

Society darling Clare Goddard (that's her on the right above) has been banged up in jail for fiddling funds from her employers and is actually proving a bit of a hit with the women, having got governor Erica (on the left, above) to agree to throw a birthday party for her and the ladies, with lots of yummy food. What Erica doesn't know is that Lizzie, Monica and co are brewing up loads of illicit booze and they all get nicely sozzled on it (there's a very funny scene with Lizzie and Doreen totally pished).

Meanwhile top dog Bea has gone on the run and is hiding out with former cell mate Val. The latter, it has to be said, is wearing one of the worst-looking wigs in history (it's got to be a wig as when Val first appeared in the show she was a brunette and now she's a bloody blonde!) Bea herself is forced to don a disguise to avoid detection, which includes a brown wig (above - somewhat nicer than Val's "dead cat" one though) and a skirt which resembles a table cloth. Yes, this being the late 1970s, high fashion reigns supreme in Prisoner - not in the SLIGHTEST bit tacky or camp atall. Toward the end of the show's run, things did calm down stylistically, but this is surely Prisoner at its apogee in terms of style and fashion. Just take a look at Meg's outfit below:

Blends in with the sofa perfectly doesn't it?

I almost forgot to mention the fabulously trashy Noeline Burke, who has just arrived in the show -an iconic character who I really should have listed in my recent post. She's an, erm, "interesting" looking character who hails from a family of petty thieves - who, unlike some crims, are all actually proud of their doings and see burgalry as a way of life! Jude Kuring who plays Noeline is brilliant in the role, and her character, surely constitutes an original CHAV, before the word ever entered popular usage...

Bliss!!!

Oh, can I also draw your attention to two rather cool blogs dedicated to actresses Patsy King (who played governor Erica Davidson) and Jude Kuring (Noeline). You can find them here and here! Lots of clippings, photos and fact about the ladies in question, and compiled by lovely fellow blogger Eva!

Have a good weekend.

OC xx

How very odd...and very sad

Just over a year ago, Gustavo and I visited some good mates in Weston Super Mare and had a jolly jaunt around the pier. And here's the proof:


And this is what's just happened to it now:

I can't quite believe it.

Oddly enough we're visiting again in just a few weeks. It will be completely bizarre to see the contrast.

Apparently the cause of the conflagration was a chip pan catching fire. Okay, so the pier (and Weston in general) has a tacky reputation, but what a tragic thing to occur (on a par with the burning down of the West Pier in Brighton which is now but a charred and blackened hulk...)

What do we all reckon?