Speaking

Another weekend over and again it was quirt busy, primarily because of going to two barbecues, one on Saturday and another on Sunday. The one on Sunday was at my sister’s house and seemed to consist of me running about with my nephew trying to kick a football. I felt so full by the end of yesterday that I might need to avoid eating for the rest of this week (somehow I think I will manage to eat again though). Actually my sister gave me a birthday cake yesterday that was ‘going spare’, so I’m going to take that into work – not that it is my birthday, so everyone at work will be somewhat confused, but it’s cake so I can’t imagine they will complain too much. It is actually mum’s birthday today, but the cake wasn’t for her birthday either, it was just at my sister’s house and needed eating up…

Anyway, while we were at my sister’s my father said to me that they are planning to do something to mark their 40th anniversary in September. He asked me if I would give a speech. I was a bit dumbfounded and gave the somewhat terse reply that I wasn’t sure he had given me enough notice to think of something to say. I really do not get on with my father and have nothing good to say about him and so would have to try and give a speech that entirely consisted of speaking abut my mum. Mind you, he couldn’t complain too much because when my sister got married a few years ago he gave the father of the bride speech and entirely forgot to mention my sister, not even once did he refer to her. So, I am not happy about this suggestion at all but will have to think about it a bit more. I think what bothers me about it the most is how oblivious my father must be to even consider asking me to something like that. But that’s the thing I suppose, he always had the ability to wipe from his mind all of the awful things he used to do and instead replaced it with some idealised view about how family was “the most important thing” whilst continually treating his own family with contempt. It just makes me really angry even typing these words. The thing is that if I decline to do it, I will be the one made out to be the bad guy. I need to stop there I think, before I get really mad about it.

On a more humorous note, one of the radio broadcasts I saw being recorded, Spike’s Lookalikes, is on BBC Radio 4 tonight at 11pm if you want to tune in, or should be on their ‘listen again’ service for a week following its broadcast tonight. This and next week’s episode are the actual ones I heard being recorded, so if you listen very carefully you might be able to pick out me chuckling away.

Which reminds me… I saw another radio broadcast on Thursday, which was the funniest yet. It was called Cabin Pressure and I was so amused by it and laughed the whole way through. I’m not sure it will be as funny on the radio because part of what was so funny was the cast messing up their lines and despite it being on the radio, there was a remarkable amount of acting, which made it very funny, but obviously won’t be visible to listeners. Plus there were a number of comments made to the audience won’t make it to the final cut but made it really amusing. It had Stephanie Cole in it, who was great and Roger Allam - who has such a nice voice which I found really mesmerising. I think he is the chap who is the voice behind the HSBC adverts if you want to know what he sounds like. Anyway, it was very good and I’m looking forward to it being on the radio.

Rightio, I’m off to work…