Faith and Cold Reading by Shaun Prendergast

Saw the Black Swan, very disturbing film, but worth seeing. Faith and Cold Reading on the other hand was packed with scary, sinister tense and highly amusing scenes in equal measure. Stephen Tomkinson shines, I was totally amazed at how he handled this role after only ever having seen him playing the canny body in different styles of acting. Loved him in Brassed off. We went to the event Meet the Writer, Stephen Tomkinson Shaun Prendergast (Writer) and director, Jonathan Moore spoke of how they met, inspiration, former work and answered questions from the audience, excellent. Going to see it again next week. Went for an Indian meal afterwards which was quite bland, still, you can`t have everything.

Overheard two old men in the library

"Well, ah mean, what`s he deein at his age dyin his hair"
"Ah knaar, what does he look like, yi can tell it`s dyed."

They were discussing Gadaffi, so no mention of torture, carnage or despotism then?

Then they went on to discuss how they won`t use the computers as they`d witnessed people picking their noses while typing.

In Northumberland Street, a Chinese man smoking a cigarette. Lad of about 16, built like a barn door squared up to him "MATE....do you want to buy a tab off me?" the man asked "Pardon?" so the lad enforced his request "DO YOU want to but a cigarette off me?" So choice, but no choice really. He bullied him into buying. There are some real shits walking around Newcastle.

Interviewed an ex G.P.O telephonist supervisor, what a memory, she`s 83 and I wrote 20 pages from her recollections. Went to Gibraltar for 3 years service as a clerk with an Ak Ak unit, drove a Bond motorbike and helped to run shows for a group of women at New Theatre. Borrowed 45 photos of hers to scan. Fabulous 50`s dresses and costumes. She enjoyed performing comedy routines of Little Geordie Broon from Backworth. In her role as lecturer for the G.P.O she stood in front of a packed hall, only for someone from the crowd to shout "Eee whey it`s Little Geordie Broon"

I now have 3 headsets as props for my play Get off the line there`s a train coming. I`ve put a bid in for the G.P.O dial pencils on e bay. Also for my memorabilia collection for the care home sessions, I now have an Ark Royal hat. Spent quite a time on micro-fische at the library researching 1971 when the strikes were at their peak. I was out for around 6 weeks as a telephonist, but it didn`t have such an impact on me as I was still living at home and no bills to pay. People worked a three day week afterwards and there were continual power cuts, walks to work as the buses were off, pits, shipyards, boilermakers and airports, everyone demanding a decent living wage.

Sylvia Wood (Woolly West) has knit me a fabulous Florrie doll, complete with turban, rollers, duster and bucket. It`s a bit Cabbage Patch dollish in the facial expression. My sod of a brother remarked on the "Amazing likeness" When a few more people said the same I reached for the bucket, not to spew in, to put over my head.