It’s been a half-decent week. The weather’s been variable but we’ve had a splendid visit with great friends, enjoyed another Moreton Pinkney Film Night, had a grand evening out in Stratford which included an outstanding evening meal and a standing ovation-worthy production by the RSC at the Swan. Marvellous.
The first part of the week was largely occupied with getting ready for our visitors – the house was deep-cleaned and the dog, poor Daisy, had her once every couple of months bath. Preparations completed, our good friends the Waltons and Kelly-Browns arrived on Thursday for a couple of days of outstanding entertainment opportunities.
On Thursday evening we wandered across the road to the Village Hall for the monthly Moreton Pinkney Film Night, complete with fish & chips. The film was The Way which I mentioned briefly last time. It was a decent enough film – Martin Sheen plays a father who travels to France to collect the body of his estranged son who has died just as he was about to begin walking El Camino de Santiago de Compostela, a pilgrimage route in France, Spain and Portugal. After identifying and collecting the ashes of his son’s body, the father decides to walk the route in memory of his son, scattering his ashes along the way. A “voyage of discovery”, at times funny, at other times quite poignant.
It was a “perfect” MP Film Night movie – nothing too controversial, nothing too steamy, something relatively light with a bit of substance. We all enjoyed it and the Fish & Chips, of course, make the evening.
Friday early afternoon we made our way across to Stratford for an early dinner and then on to the theatre to see the RSC production of Cyrano de Bergerac.
I imagine most of you are familiar with the story – Cyrano is a nobleman serving as a soldier. He is an accomplished swordsman, a gifted poet but sadly he is plagued with an enormously large nose and believes that no woman could ever love him. He is in love with the beautiful and intellectual Roxanne who meanwhile, has fallen for a dazzlingly-handsome young soldier, Christian de Neuvillette, who is an intellectual lightweight. Cyrano agrees to help Christian woo Roxanne, expressing his own love for her in the letters he writes for Christian and in the words he prompts him to use in trying to win her love. She falls in love with “the man who wrote these letters” and, when Christian is killed in battle, believing that he was the author, she retreats and spends her life alone in a convent. She and Cyrano remain friends and meet regularly where Cyrano gives her an update on what has been happening in the outside world. This goes on for fifteen years until one day Cyrano is attacked in a brawl. Mortally wounded, he makes his way to his regular rendezvous with Roxanne where he ultimately recites some of the letters he had written for Christian. She realises that it is Cyrano who she is really in love with but alas, it’s too late.
Cue deafening applause and a standing ovation. Really, really good production, certainly amongst the best we’ve ever seen.
YCNMIU
There was an article in the Guardian on Thursday that PPE Medpro, the “company” owned by Michelle Mone and her husband, which “won” a contract worth £203 million to supply sterile surgical gowns during the pandemic, has entered administration (i.e., gone bankrupt) with debts of £188 million including at least £39 million in unpaid taxes. You will remember that Michelle Mone contacted Michael Gove who, at the time was the Cabinet Secretary, offering her company’s expertise in supplying PPE.
Funny how all this works – at the time Michelle Mone contacted Gove, the company did not exist, had no employees and no history. But, she was a Conservative member of the House of Lords and therefore her “company” won the contract. They then proceeded to supply surgical gowns and masks from China which did not meet the various health standards required.
Eventually, when the Conservatives were kicked out of office, the new government took the company to court seeking to recover the £203 million. The court ruled PPE Medpro had to repay the money but, oddly enough, the company was placed in administration the day before the judgement was due. I.e., the company is broke, owes £188 million and therefore there is no chance the government will be able to recoup their losses.
To sum up – there is a medical emergency, a member of the House of Lords contacts a government minister offering to supply much-needed PPE. When the contract is awarded, she and her husband quickly set up a company and arranged with contacts in China to supply the PPE. The company has no employees and no experience of supplying or producing anything. The PPE is rubbish so the government ultimately wants their money back. But, in the meantime, the money has been transferred out to accounts controlled by Michelle Mone and/or her husband and the company (no employees, no nothing, remember) runs up debts of £188 million pounds. Great work if you can get it.
And, I think that’s about it for this week.
Meanwhile, keep breathing, keep happy, keep smiling, keep exercising, be good, be careful, and keep safe. And be gentle to wasps and bees – we need all the pollinators we can get.
Lots of love to you all,
Greg