Winter's Clothing

Not to mention Bobby's.

Among other things...


My dream situation - Bobby in the dark pointing his weapon at me.


We can have a competition to decide who's going to be the hands,but I'm the tie!


"Will this do for a sexy look?"


Is he perfect or what?


I love his ickle nose!


"Are you being patronising Val?"Yes, Bobby, punish me, please.


"Mmmm. Let me think about that."


Two hearts that beat as one.And a hand to dream about.


Bobby, brown and navy just don't go together.Except on you.


OK, maybe I want to be the hands after all.


"You're going down, Val. You just don't respect the long arm of the law."Trust me, Bobby, I respect the long EVERYTHING when the law is you.

I Love Necking

And necking with Vincent would be a truly wondrous experience.

We see a delicious amount of neck in Monster.

"I hope there's no-one behind me about to reach under and massage my privates."


There's a selection of yummy places here to kiss/lick/suck.


Most men need shoulder pads in jackets to get their shoulders to look this good.


Even the Monster can't stop looking at him.


A smile to make your heart stop.


I feel your sadness, Bobby. Can I comfort you by licking your neck?


You want me to move on to this side now? With pleasure!


OMG what a combination!


I asked him to try this on me later, so he's trying it out on this lucky guy first.

Rubbing Elbows with the Rich and Famous

London's theatreland has its own set of awards, formerly known as the Society of West End Theatre, or SWET Awards. (Has a certain ring, doesn't it?) It is unusual in that members of the public make up part of the judging panels. Oh for THAT boon at the Emmies!

I think I may have mentioned before that in 1984, I managed to become a member of the opera panel. In the Awards Evening porgramme we are listed as:

Jack Lambert CBE

Roy Plomley OBE

The Rt Hon Kenneth Robinson D. Litt

and members of the theatre-going public

Dr John Grimshaw

Valerie Weber

Don't they all sound grand? Except me, of course.

Can't remember why Jack Lambert was an expert member of the panel. Kenneth Robinson was an MP and one-time Chair of the Arts Council. Roy Plomley was the creator and presenter of Desert Island Discs on the radio. He was very knowledgable about music and had a huge record collection.

Roy Plomley

There was a dance panel which included the retired Prima Ballerina Beryl Grey, pictured below in her heyday.

And then on the theatre panel we had Melvyn Bragg, well-known adenoidal broadcaster (he's since had them out) who decided to get his new musical into the awards process for the current year, and so resigned from the panel very near the end, after getting to know all the judges, and getting hundreds of pounds' worth of free seats. (His hair doesn't look a bit unnatural, does it?) Melvyn's musical was "The Hired Man". Don't remember it? You're in good company.

Partway through the year Lord Olivier agreed to let them name the awards after him so we now have the much prettier-sounding Olivier Awards. His Lordship was too frail to speak at the awards evening, but his wife, actress Joan Plowright, spoke on his behalf.

Nominees that year who have since gone on to better things include:

Zoe Wanamaker; Glenda Jackson; Vanessa Redgrave; Juliet Stevenson; and Ian McKellen.

Apart from the opera winners, I have no idea who won what. I rubbed shoulders with all sorts of people, but the main thing was that I got to see every new opera production in London for free for one year, and including the awards dinner the prices added up to nearly £1000. In 1984!

It would be enough to pay off my mortgage now.

It's more than probable

My pictures for this episode are a complete mess, and I'm sure a lot are unaccounted for somewhere. Looks like I'll have to redo them :)

Nice to see your back, Bobby.


Are you playing with that invisible stopwatch again?


"Ha ha! Fooled you! You thought this stretch was going to give you a good groin view, didn't you?"


"...9, 10. Coming, ready or not!"Oh Bobby, you can come any time, but I bet it'll be after 10,000, not 10!


"Val, you say the naughtiest things."I'll do them, too, if you'll let me.


Go on, give me another good eyelashing.


I caught Bobby trying to prove Jean's theory wrong, that your nose and thumb are the same length.You're right, Bobby, your thumb is huge, and your dinkie little nose is tiny.

It came to me in a flash!

Watching a programme last night about the Knights Templar, I suddenly started thinking about a favourite programme from my childhood. I knew it starred Roger Moore, but what was the eponymous hero's name? Not Lancelot - that was a man called William Russell, who also featured in early episodes of Dr Who.

Today it just came to me - he was Ivanhoe.

This is his drawn likeness.

This is his big hair look for fighting Saladdin.

A while later he reared his upper-crust sounding head in Maverick,

as Brett and Bart's English cousin Beau.

His next major outings, as Simon Templar and James Bond,

have him with similar supercilious looks.

In the 1950s he was married to the singer Dorothy Squires, who probably kick-started his career (he, of course, then buggered off). She used to say he was a decade older than his admitted age, and if he'd stuck to that, he'd be coming up to 71. As it is, he will be 81 next month.

Not my brand of smoothie, though he was a fun childhood hero. And he was always game for a laugh. Probably still is.

Anyone out there got early memories of a children's performer who later became a big star?

No, I don't mean Shirley Temple! Did I ever tell you I was on a jury that tried her for receiving stolen goods? No, not THE Shirley Temple - A Shirley Temple. By marriage. Only on the last day did I realise I'd taught her son (different surname) and had to get special permission from the judge to stay on the jury.

We acquitted (police unconvincing "massaging" of their own statements).

David Bailey and James Hunt were in the jury pool. No, not THE...

Who do we want to see?

Not little old me, surely?


Does it say in there?


Maybe they want to see you?


Don't avoid the question.


Good answer!


They just want to see my lashes? Here you go.


And I just want to see you...wriggle out of this one.


My finger may fit in there but...


...wouldn't you rather it was here?


Or here? Anywhere in full view of your fantasies.


Want to choose one?


OK, so we've got it down to five.


I'm going home to Val, she won't make such a song and dance out of it, she'll take whichever finger I offer ;)

All joking aside, this was a powerful and poignant episode which gave us our first real insight into Bobby's pain. He was wonderful with the schizophrenic people, as he had been way back with Howard in Season 1, and showed us his truly gentle, caring nature.

Suite!

Normal service is close to being resumed. Just before returning to my sickbed (cough, cough, and other unmentionable bodily functions that have kept me in - and out - of bed since Sunday) I thought I should do an itsy bitsy post here and check as many blogs as I can manage before retreating to the Slough of Despond.

That configuration of shoulder and arm just gives me the shivers.


I'm just imagining the tickle of the eyelashes on my cheek as the thumbnail rakes its way down my spine...


Raise that eyebrow at me and I'm yours to command. Or DON'T raise it at me and...I'm yours to command!


"So which of my looks makes you melt?" That's one of the - ooh - 10,000.


"What about this one?" Are you KIDDING!!??


Eames, you're having you photo taken BY him, WITH him. SMILE!


"Eames, close your mouth, I can see a bus heading straight for it."


Does he have some sulty looks in this episode or what?


He's doing it again!