I Think I'm a Closet Pagan!

I'm late. I should have written my journal yesterday but I had no spare time, it's been the same all week.

Last Sunday saw me driving home to the Black Country  to the Netherton Boat Festival, for a secret assignation with another man!

Not as naughty as it sounds. Mike was working as usual and I was fed up of my own company. The cousin I haven't seen for 27 years (the 'have a go hero' in a previous entry) was also going to the Festival and had sent me his mobile phone number in case I decided to go. I love narrow boats and it was a nice day, so, I thought 'Blow it', I'm off! I did tell Mike where I was going but not that I intended meeting anyone. I like to be a bit secretive sometimes, I think it keeps things interesting.

I met him, had a wonderful chat about old times, he's still a lovely person and I'm very glad I went. I also have to correct a mistake I made, the thugs he disarmed had guns, not knives. Guns!! I ask you, what was he thinking of?

I have to dig out a couple of old videos now, as he used to help out on the Severn Valley  Railway, consequently he's been in a couple of films. The BBC's, Miss Marples, 'They do it with Mirrors' where he played 5 different parts and the Merchant Ivory film 'Howard's End'.

How strange, I've seen both of those more than once and never realised he was in them. In Howard's End he had a speaking part as the chap supposed to do it sounded too posh. Apparently my cousin sounded suitably common (Black Country) Oh Bless!

Don't know what happened to the rest of the week, just full of the usual mundane stuff, although son and girlfriend came to stay and they kept dragging us out to places, so that's where a lot of my spare time went.

Yesterday we went to the Malvern Autumn Show, a lovely event. I love this time of year, which the show epitomises. Everyone is showing what they produce, there's acres of food and wines and real ale.

The picture above is of the winning pumkin this year and young Joe who grew it said that the secret was down to giving it beer.

 Now I love real ale and have been known to have the odd pint..... it's usually the fourth! It can result in some strange behaviour.

That reminds me of a beautiful summer's evening last year. My sister and her chap came to stay for the weekend and we had a night on the town sampling various real ales. In the taxi coming home an enormous full moon was rising over the cathedral and reflecting on the river. I commented, as you do, that I thought I was a bit of a Pagan at heart and when we got home we probably ought to dance widdershins, naked around the weeping willow.

It was a drunken joke but when we got home and took coffee and brandies out on to the patio, my sister, suddenly kicked off her shoes, pulled off her dress and in her bra and pants sprinted off down the garden. Now this was a challenge and I'm not one to be outdone, so I followed suit, breathing a sigh of relief I wasn't wearing the usual, moth eaten, comfortable, black underwear but a very attractive ensemble of rose pink and ecru lace and was sporting quite a good tan. Well, it gave the men a good laugh and thankfully our garden is private.

But going back to the Pagan thing, I'm sure it's in my blood, although I wouldn't want anything to do with sacrifices, thank you very much. The Harvest Festival has roots far deeper than the Christian religion's version of it. I've just put hop bines round my dining room. We always have Jack O Lantern pumpkins for Halloween and at Christmas the house is festooned with Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe and two real trees. In the next week or two I shall have my autumn bonfire. Not because I have to because we shred and compost most stuff but I feel there is something very cleansing and spiritual about having a damn good fire to mark the end of the growing year. And it's far enough away from the houses to not bother anyone.

I can't understand religion anyway,why do people kill each other in it's name? I'm happy with my very simple belief that we should all be nice to each other and be in tune with nature and yet people are horrified when I say I don't think I believe in god. Some of the nastiest people I've met go to church every week. As I say I just don't get it and I'm happy sitting on the fence until something happens to make me think otherwise.

Getting old's alright but you do lose your dignity don't you? The 'night of the full moon' tale above resulted in a good laugh but I can remember the days when taking my clothes off had a different effect.

Back in my modelling days I did a charity event, which was a fashion show, after a big, black tie, dinner at the HQ of British Gas in Solihull. They had their own theatre and there must have been about 300 hundred people in the audience. The climax of the show was when I and another model went on stage wearing long dresses, which were actually wrap around beach robes. as we crossed by each other on the stage we undid the robes and slid them off to reveal, matching, scanty, bikinis. All the men stood up and clapped and cheered, it was quite an experience.......I have a horrible feeling if I was to do it now they would be shouting 'Put it back on!'

Oh well, we can't stay young forever and reliving the memories are good.