Happy Go Lucky

I'm not sure what I was expecting when I went to see Mike Leigh's new film 'Happy Go Lucky', generally I love a Leigh film but this felt different. It's taken me a while to figure out why I felt so dissatisfied with Happy, but here's the thing - I felt no sympathy for the main character of Poppy and I couldn't quite see the point of the film....was it about being cheerful in the face of being 30 and single? Was it about secrets and lies being hidden beneath a failure to grow up? Was it about a naivity that only sees the good in everything? Was it about insecurity? Was is about paranoia?

Or was it simply about a really annoying woman?

I did appreciate the lesbionic undertones in the relationship between the two female leads (and, in this case, I don't think I am projecting) and I will always support any movie that is female led - they are few and far between.

Having said that - I do have to note that the most 'interesting' character was the male driving instructor. This character had depth, humanity and, while repugnant, did elicit some sympathy from me. Unlike Poppy who seemed one dimensional.

Sadly, I also thought the acting was a bit wooden - which was a shame. Perhaps in the hands of a more experienced actor the character of Poppy may have been redeemed.

And what woman would walk through wasteground, in the middle of London, in the middle of the night AND then stop and chat with the first strange man she met? No woman I know

So my cornetto rating is ............. 5/10. Might be OK on dvd on a rainy Sunday afternoon

Ain't Life a Riot

I live in Brixton.....it's a great place to live, full of colour and character. Some of the characters are a bit too colourful at times, but that's part of Brixton's charm. Once you get used to the 'groove' of the place, the oddballs are as normal as me and you.

One of Brixton's more energetic oddballs got run over and killed last week by a prison van. There has been talk on the street (and in the shops, at the bus stops and in the pub) that it might not have been a complete accident, but I don't know 'cos I wasn't there......

We all felt very fond of Gully and her marlboro jacket. She always said hello and once offered me a swig of her drink.....the sight of her dancing about in the middle of the road seemed normal to us......

Early this evening there's going to be a gathering in memory of Gully, it's going to be held in the little square where the drinkers gather. I'll be there, if only to say hooroo to Gully and to acknowledge that, in this funny little corner of London, it really does take all sorts to make a community and that the Gully's of this world are important.

get ya willie out........

of my face, you horrible little man.

I open my front door to find a man pissing aginst it. It's not the sort of thing a respectable lesbian wants to see on a Sunday morning

There is a public toilet less than 100metres down the road. Can I just say to all the gentleman out there....just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

That's all I have to say

Go Stan Go

I have invented a new game, it involves sticking a sock on the cats head and then shouting 'Go Stan, Go'. He loves it. Really. He does........

Balloon Pants

Balloon Pants are making a comeback

This is sooooooooooooooooo wrong

The Joy's of Public Transport

Are Many

Like the shoeless woman who got on the bus and announced, loudly, to the driver:

'I've lost my bus pass, but I'm a mental health patient under section3 of the Mental Health Act'

To which the bus driver rolled his eyes and waved her on.

The woman sat herself down and, after arranging her numerous plastic bags, began chatting to me (of course).
She had a voucher for Subway, but never having been there before she was unsure if Subway would meet her standards. I explained as best I could that Subway involved lots of choices and could be a bit stressful.....

The lady then turned her attention to another passenger and told him that her feet were cold and she wished she had some socks. The man asked her where her shoes were

'I pissed myself earlier and my shoes haven't dried yet'

To that woman I say: Bless You

Mahinarangi Tocker

I was terribly shocked to hear about the death of Mahina Tocker.

Aotearoa has lost one of it's unique voices. I was priviledged to have met Mahina a few times - she was humble, funny, passionate, energetic, supremely talented, a bit wicked and filled with a wonderful curiousity. As a musician she had no peer, she simply soared above everyone else - both as a songwriter and as a performer. A fortnight ago I heard her part of a collaborative project to put the poetry of the late Hone Tuwhare to music - it was wonderful.

While Aotearoa has lost someone truly special, her whanau have lost so much more.

Goodbye Mahina

All That Jazz

Today I met my friend David in London's Soho (I was skivving off work). We had a gay old time trying on glasses, playing shoot 'em up games in a video arcade and checking out joke shops. I got myself some fabulous temporary tattoos and a wonderful dictionary of lesbian speak covering the major european languages . I can now fail to pick up girls in all the major capitals of the world. After an hour or so of silly shopping we stopped for coffee and cake at Maison Bateaux. MB is a famous 'pattessiere'. What it is famous for is crap coffee, stale cake and the grumpiest proprietor in all of London. But it has tables on the pavement and is opposite the entrance to that top of the range, members only, club - Soho House. So it's good for people spotting. This led us to come up with an idea for a salacious gossip site where people can post their celebrity spotting and comments about sobriety, fashion sense and so on. We then plan to sell said website for millions.......


Of course this money making idea is brought to you by the same people who came up with the 'Sandra and David Breakfast Show', presented by us, in our kitchen, wearing our pyjama's, with a daily horoscope provided by Perky the goldfish.



After saying goodbye to David, I met Cini at the Soho PizzaExpress Jazz Club where I saw the fabulous Lea Delaria at her regular Wall to Wall night. It was too fab for words. I first came across Lea as a stand up comic - and we are talking maybe twenty years ago here (old? moi? don't be silly). Lea, like Madonna, has reinvented herself and now she combines a wonderful jazz voice, with a natural ability to make the audience laugh. Wall to Wall' is Lea's regular (every third Tuesday) spot at the club, the concept is to cover one composer every month and to showcase a different guest vocalist. You should check it out.



At the end of the evening (and after a few beers) I was reminded that Lea once hit on me. We were both young and stupid.

Mind your Onions

I'm the sort of person that, when on public transportation, stands up for little old ladies (and little old men - I'm an equal opportunities type of chick).

So when I see a woman struggling along with her shopping and notice that one of her bags is leaking onions, my response is to pick up the errant vegetables and hurry after her

'hey lady your onions.....' says I, holding out the five I had picked up 'your bag is leaking'

As thanks I get an up/down stare and then:

'I don't want those - they've been on the ground. Stupid Bitch'

To which I would say

FUCK YOU AND YOUR ONIONS

Man Runs Marathon

This morning a man started running the London Marathon.

He is 101 years old

I am so ashamed