We're Having A Heatwave!

Tuesday. 10.30 a.m.Okay, okay. The post title comes from that of a song, written by Irving Berlin and sung by the amazing Ethel Merman and various other singers, first appearing in the film 'Alexander's Ragtime Band', which was released in 1938.

I have been experiencing real pain in my left knee. I don't tend to make a fuss about such things, but it has been going on for around a month or six weeks or so. I was reluctant to go to my doctor's, basically because it's not easy, generally, to get an appointment, then there was the possibility of having to wear a mask and all that nonsense about 'social distancing', (a stupid term. It's an oxymoron, for goodness’s sake. If you don't know what that is, look it up on Google.) I wondered if it was related to something which happened when I was a D.S.M. at Ipswich Theatre in the 1970s. We did a Christmas show, not a pantomime, based on the John Ryan children's television show called 'Sir Prancelot.' I was part of a team who worked on the fly floor, hauling up bits of scenery and making sure the flying went smoothly. Unfortunately, as it was Christmastime, we were messing around, as often happens, but probably not the best place to mess around. In the process, I banged my knee on one of the cleats which were used to tie off the flying hemps `(or ropes.) It hurt at the time, as you'd expect if you have had such an injury. I didn't think any more about it, and had a few twinges, but nothing more. Then, around 48 years later, this discomfort came back. I could have just ignored it, but as you get older, it's probably best to deal with things such as an injury. I can hardly bend the knee, kneeling is out and bending down to do up laces is quite uncomfortable. 

Yesterday I decided that enough was enough, and with several issues sorted out, for example, the renovation work on my kitchen and the car with its MoT (which, by the way, it passed, fortunately.) I could go ahead and attempt to make an appointment at my doctor's surgery. Ringing around 8.20 a.m., I just got the infamous menu, asking which area you wanted, so I pressed '1' for appointments, but the system just came back to where I began. It was obvious that there was something wrong with the technology. I could not get through to speak to a receptionist. But around 20 minutes later I got through and this time I was able to get an appointment with a practice nurse. It was at 9 a.m. this morning.

I left in good time to get to the surgery in Bradwell Common. Unfortunately, there are at least three sets of traffic lights you have to go through in order to reach the surgery. There is generally very light traffic at that time of the morning, and even less than there would be when schools are open. These confounded lights seem to take an eternity to change. I can see absolutely no reason for them to take so long and they really need resetting.

On arriving at the car park at the surgery, there was no problem finding a space, and then I walked inside, and as I had taken a face mask with me, found there was no need for it. All the chairs were back as they should be, with no social distancing. I signed in, using the computerized system, and then sat down to wait for my appointment to come up on the digital screen. 

There was a message which came up on the screen, telling patients that, if they were in the wrong waiting area, they might miss their appointment. This is because the surgery has a waiting area downstairs, near reception, and another, upstairs. As it was by now about five minutes past the time of my appointment, which was actually 9 o'clock, I went back to the computerized screen and did a check. It didn't appear that I had actually managed to register that I had arrived, so I checked with one of the receptionists and it wasn't clear whether it had actually registered. So I went back to the waiting area.

Around 9.30 I got my call to go into the practice nurse's room. It turns out the problem with my left knee is caused by the soft tissue in the knee joint, called bursa, which are fluid-filled sacs situated near your knee joint. They reduce friction and cushion pressure points between your bones and tendons, muscles and skin near your joints. Any of the bursa in your knee can become inflamed, but knee bursitis most commonly occurs over the kneecap on the inner side of your knee below the joint.

The nurse told me it was unlikely to be in any way connected to the incident when my need came into contact with the cleat on the fly floor in Ipswich. Unlikely, as that was around fifty years ago.

I was told that Voltorol gel would help relieve the discomfort and reduce the inflammation. Also, putting an ice pack on it for ten minutes would also help. The nurse said that a bag of frozen peas would do just as well as an ice pack, but I would rather not use frozen peas, so I intend buying a reusable ice pack.

From the doctor's surgery, I went into the Boots branch, which is immediately next door. They didn't have an ice pack, but I did manage to buy a tube of Voltorol.

On the way home, I was thinking about where I could get an ice pack. I could have gone into the central shopping centre and tried the main branch of Boots, but it would have meant parking and paying, and I didn't have my mobile, so I couldn't pay using the parking app, and, anyway, there was no guarantee that they would even have such a thing as an ice pack. Then it occurred to me, why not try Amazon? So, on arriving home, I looked on the Amazon website and, lo and behold! A vast selection to choose from, and I found a reusable one and ordered it. It should arrive tomorrow. I started using the Voltarol, so I'll have to wait and see if it reduces the pain of bursitis.

6.30 p.m. I'm currently watching the weather on BBC 6 O'clock News, and the weather forecast says there will be extreme heat from this Thursday to Sunday, and the Met Office has issued an Amber Warning.

Wednesday. 5.45 a.m. Awake early and Alfie was barking madly in the lounge. It is relatively mild and as I write this, my digital thermometer reads 75ºF. 

1.45 p.m. We were told that we could expect a team of workmen to come and test the water in each of the flats in Dexter House. If we weren't going to be available to let them in, then we could rearrange times for this. I'm not sure what it was for. Testing for temperature or something. Around 1.30 I got a knock on my front door and two men stood on the doorstep. They were for something with the totally original title of WET. It made me laugh, why would you have such an original name for your business, which deals with water, and call it WET? Initials for 'Water Engineering Testing' maybe? 'We Envision Testing', or 'Water Engineering Testers'? I can't imagine. But how ridiculous. I showed them the bathroom, they took a fleeting glance, and were gone. I really thought they would have complicated instruments, to test the water, the flow, the temperature, take samples for analysis. But no . . . Just a glance and they were gone. 

Working In Theatre- Part 15

Looking back on my time working in theatre, over about a 6-year period and most of it a good 40 years ago, I'm desperately attempting to remember a good deal more. It's a pity I don't have a diary or any written material. I used to have a large box of photographs from the shows I worked on and also programmes from those shows and at one time even the posters. But I have moved around many times over the years and, unfortunately, such material got lost or simply mislaid. Whenever each show was opening we would be given a programme and very nearly always the cast members would sign these programmes. Such a pity I have nothing to post on here. 

I have mentioned working on pantomimes, although, I have to admit to not being over-fond of them as a form of theatre. At Ipswich the year I was there, I think 1973, we did a Christmas show called "Sir Prancelot" based on a B.B.C. television children's programme which had been made by John Ryan, who had earlier created "Captain Pugwash" and animated in his very original style using cut-out figures which were articulated and operated very much like live-action puppets as opposed to 'stop-frame' animation. In actual fact the year before "Sir Prancelot," Ipswich Theatre had done another Christmas show based on "Captain Pugwash." I have to admit that "Sir Prancelot" was rather lacking in originality and was thin as regards plot and character, but nevertheless, I think it did reasonably good business, but the budget was tiny so the sets and costumes weren't up to much. At one point in the action Sir Prancelot and his gang were supposed to take off in a rocket (and this was supposed to be set in the Middle Ages, so definitely an anachronism.) and all we had to suggest this was a sort of wooden cut-out which we hauled up into the flies above the stage and to suggest the rocket engines, some sort of fireworks attached to the bottom edge, which, when lit, produced some really unpleasant fumes, which I doubt would be allowed today, under current health and safety regulations. I had been set the job of working on the fly floor, operating the flying system with a couple of other members of stage management. Hard work, spending the entire show hauling up bits of scenery and letting other bits in on cue.

Poster from the Ipswich Theatre 

production of "Sir Prancelot."

Part of the scenery for "Sir Prancelot" was what is known as a 'scrim.' As in most pantomimes, there are 'cloths' which are painted canvas and the width of the stage, and the height from the stage floor to just about the height of the suspended bars on which hang any lighting. They are then suspended from ropes which go up into the 'flies' in what is called the 'grid', an arrangement of pullies from which the ropes which are used to haul up or down the cloths for scene changes. The 'scrim' was used for scene changes up-stage of it and because it was translucent whatever was lit behind it could be seen by the audience, but if the lights behind it were turned off, the audience would not be able to see anything up-stage. This scrim was lowered in order for us to do scene changes. As this was going on, a scene would be performed downstage, thus allowing us time to perform the scene change. I trust this is making some sort of sense. Anyway, on one occasion the lighting technician didn't remember to turn out the lights behind the scrim as we did the scene change so we were seen by the audience, and since they were mostly children in the audience, they began to shout out that we were in view, making the actor's life very difficult as you can imagine, attempting to continue with their scene with children shouting out! We had to remain stock-still until the lights were turned off up-stage so we could continue with the scene change.

On one occasion we were messing about on the fly floor. I expect something to do with it being the Christmas period, the result of doing perhaps three shows in a day and being over-active. General fooling around. Well, anyway, as a result my knee came into sharp contact with one of the cleats which were used to tie off the ropes (or 'hemps.') At exactly the right height for my knee and it really hurt. As a result, for a day or two, I could hardly walk without a certain amount of pain. That's what comes of tomfoolery and actually quite unprofessional, even though, on reflection, I say so myself looking back on it now. A fly floor can be quite a dangerous place if you don't know what you are doing.  I still get a certain amount of pain from that knee even today, whenever the weather is cold,  there's a sharp wind or damp in the air.