When I am old...

I've finally found a poem that my mother used to love as I was growing up. Obviously, she didn't live long enough to wear purple with a red hat so maybe I'll take up the mantel one day. Or maybe I'll do it tomorrow.

WARNING by Jenny Joseph

When I am old I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.

I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other people's gardens . . .

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

Cutting down on the drink

Did I mention that I decided to stop drinking in 2009. I mention this because since 7pm this evening I have had a bottle of Chardonnay and have now had a glass of very good Shiraz. And yet I don't feel drunk... should I worry? I'll consider that over the rest of the glass of red while I watch Jo Brand being very funny on Live at The Apollo.

And into 2009

The end of The Millies came and went. It was a great night at Hampton Court Palace and I was looking after Richard Hammond from Top Gear so my TV career had come full circle from the days I did work experience on the show.

Then came Christmas - I drove Chris to Wales to spend Christmas with his family. Then we went to Manchester and spent Boxing Day and the next two days with Chris's friend Phil in his LOVELY city centre flat overlooking the Hilton Hotel tower (or whatever it's called).

After a night out in Via Fossa, Cruz 101 and Federation we got back to the flat (Phil went home with an Irish man and a South African) and I got caught up in the whole "we're in the city we love, in an amazing flat, with a great view and on a great night" and I asked Chris to marry me. He said yes (after telling me I was meant to secretly whisk him away to a tropical island and propose at sunset - which I pointed out would mean I'd be conning him into marrying me).

Now we're back in London and he's working at Rotunda. I'm back on the job hunt and have even applied for a public affairs assistant role at Stonewall (another case of coming full circle as I was the model for the Stop Descrimination in the Armed Forces campaign for Stonewall in 1996). I'm going to keep trying for more TV work but am also going to look for a real job now that I've got responsibilities. Like a grown up or something.

I'm currently reading 'Dirty White Boy' which is Clay Anderson's Myspace blog from the time he was running the shop on Old Compton Street and it's inspiring me to post more blogs more often from now on - so expect a lot of drivel whenever I get access to the web...

And so we're into 2009. I hope it's a good one...