Novel In Progress...

Q - Part 4

“I actually wanted a mocha today.” Cleo flashed a smile. The barista looked awkward, and she became embarrassed, as though it was inappropriate of her to joke with him. Despite coming in at least three times a week for the past month, she was suddenly hugely aware that she still didn’t know anything about him, not even a name. Perhaps she was reading too much into him. Just because the café wasn’t busy when she was there, didn’t mean it was quiet all the time. He probably had lots of customers who knew him by name and chatted to him about his plans for the weekend, and what he thought of the latest film release. But every time she looked at him, she knew this wouldn’t be the case. The few times she had watched him interact with other customers, it was always very methodical and rigid; there was no warmth behind his actions.

The first time she had come into the café she had caught him looking at her with a strange expression. It gave her a bizarre feeling, one which had made her persistent in returning every day, in the hope that something would trigger a proper conversation between them, and she could decipher his intentions.

“I was only joking; the same as usual is fine, I was just…” her cheeks tinged pink. “I know I’m pretty boring to have the same thing every time. It’s just easier, I guess”

“You can’t like it that much, you never drink it all.” He seemed to regret speaking once he had finished.

She stifled a laugh, “I know. I’m not a huge coffee drinker,” she stopped, suddenly aware that she may have given her habit away, and he could find it strange. “It’s just I really like this place, and it’s the cheapest thing you do. I’m Cleo, by the way.”

“Yeah, I saw it on your notebook.” He suddenly began rearranging plates on the counter. Flattered at his attention, and unable to think of a response, Cleo waited for him to drop the change into her purse, picked up her coffee and walked back towards her replacement table.

Weekly Update!

Lentil Moussaka, Clothes Swapping and a Formal Bar Crawl!

This week hasn't been the best social wise, purely as it is the first performance of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest tonight (!) so the rehearsal schedule has been rather demanding. I did get a couple of nights to myself though, so made the most of them.

My mum makes a really nice lentil moussaka, and I was determined to try my hand at it at some point this term, so chose Tuesday. I got a recipe off the internet, and combined it with my mum's in the hope of making it even better. I made it for my boyfriend and I, and it scored highly (he even went for seconds, which considering he is a serious carnivore, means it must be a success!).

We had to eat quite quickly as there was a Clothes Swap on at the Duke's Theatre, which I'd given some clothes in for, so wanted to get there before all the good stuff had gone! It is a really good idea; you take in upto five items

of clothing that you no longer want during the day, and get given tokens in exchange. You then return in the evening, where everything has been hung up and put onto rails, and you use the tokens to'buy' new things. It is all completely free, and I got a couple of formal dresses, a Gap shirt and a nice baggy jumper out of it, all in exchange for a few boring t shirts!

After rehearsal on Wednesday I popped round to my friend's house for a catch up which was nice and on Thursday I opened my house up for my friend Timna to make a secret birthday cake. It was my old flatmate Joe's 21st on Friday, so it was in aid of that, and was great as it meant I got to eat the leftovers!

On Friday we had all been invited out to do a bar crawl for Joe's birthday, and it was formal wear themed, so my new dress came in handy! Some sneaky adjustments and it looked perfect, and I was very happy with how it turned out. We went to The Borough, The Dalton Rooms (I had never been in there before and it was lovely, a

nd I had a gorgeous cocktail!) 1725, The Merchants, The Robert Gillow, The John O' Gaunt, Wetherspoons and The Friary. We stayed in The Friary until we were basically chucked out, by which point we were all very much worse for wear and craving our beds. Especially me, as I had rehearsals at 12pm yesterday! They went well though, and I am looking forward to performing this evening, despite having a stinking cold. Break a leg fellow thespians!

Novel In Progress...

Q - Part 3

Cleo glanced at the clock; she’d always liked it as the hands were shaped like cutlery. She had ten minutes before her mum got in from work; normally she’d have set off for the café by now to avoid her return. The microwave trilled and she took out the flimsy tray, its sides bending slightly at her touch. The pain from the heat was delayed, and she enjoyed the sensation of the burning plastic on her fingertips. Peeling back the cellophane, she opened the back door of the house with one hand and poured the macaroni down the drain, being careful not to spill any of the lumpy sauce onto the spotless patio. She left the empty container on the work surface and grabbed her bag from the floor.

“Hello, anybody home? Tricia messed up the appointment book so I’m a little early.” Cleo turned her back to the door as her mum entered. “Cleo, why must you insist on wearing those awful boots? They look so crude next to your little legs. Oh, while I remember, I noticed that the dress I bought you for Christmas got muddled up with the things for the charity bag, so I put it back in your wardrobe, I can’t wait to see you all dressed up for Gabrielle’s party. When did Mr Bennett say it was again?”

“It was last Friday” Cleo said.

“Oh, well it’s a shame I didn’t get to take any photographs of you. By the way, I’m having dinner with a client tonight, so you can sort yourself out can’t you? Your dad won’t be home until gone nine and then I thought tomorrow we could all…”

“I’ve already eaten.” She moved so her mum could see the empty packaging.

Keeping her eyes on her boots, Cleo walked into the hallway, her footsteps echoing on the wooden floor. She unlatched the door, relishing her mother’s voice gradually disappearing behind her as the door shut.

She arrived at the café at just gone ten past three, so the surge of people on their way home from school and work were yet to arrive. There was a young man she hadn’t seen before sat at her usual table. She considered leaving altogether, as it was a place she had specifically chosen so as to remain inconspicuous. With a sense of bravery, she opted for one in the opposite corner, next to the fire exit, which meant her face was visible from the serving counter. Fishing her purse out of her bag she went up to order, feeling conscious that she wouldn’t be able to hide her expressions while she drank. A black coffee was already there waiting. She felt taken aback at this assertion, and plucked up the courage to retaliate.

Autumn Views...

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1- 3 stars ***

Last Saturday I ventured to see the latest instalment in the Harry Potter saga. Given that it is a hugely popular series, I was glad that I got to see it so quickly, before other peoples' opinions began to taint my view of it.

As a whole, I was pleasantly surprised. Over the years the constantly changing directors and styles have been a bit of a scattered bunch in terms of quality, but this time it really hit the mark. Obviously now that a lot of the 'child' actors in it have been in the film industry for a while, they are reaching a point where they are no longer cringeworthy to watch which made it much less of a task to view. In fact, much as I bare a grudge towards her, Emma Watson really shone in the role of Hermione; the section where she erases her parents was quite heartbreaking.

This was definitely the darkest film so far, I certainly wouldn't take any children I know to see it! Voldemort has always been frightening, but he was nothing compared to watching Bathilda Bagshot splitting in half to reveal a snake inside! To be fair, the books do get increasingly more dramatic and scary, so it is only fitting that the films do so as well, and it was done tastefully. The alternative aspect was continued through the use of an animé style cartoon to depict the story of 'The Three Brothers', which though very unexpected, was actually pretty effective at getting the information required out there in an entertaining way.

There were some bits that grated on me though. All of the slightly risqué scenes still came across as forced, in particular the one involving Harry and Hermione in a passionate clinch, which was overly computerised and awkward to watch. There was an unnecessary scene where Harry was shown in various stages of undress, which when he has quite a pale hairy body just made me feel grossed out!

Probably the main problem for me was the excessive padding out of the story. This was obviously done in order to create two feature length films, but I personally think one longer than average film of maybe three hours would have been much better (and not left the whole country in suspense for eight months!).

I would definitely recommend this, especially if you have seen any of the other films as it is one of the better in the bunch. The scenery is all beautiful as well, so even just for the pans of Scottish countryside, go see it!