Well both the technical and the dress rehearsal have been and gone and tomorrow night we open for our three night run of ‘A Brief Encounter with Noel Coward’ which includes the play ‘Still Life’ from which (and I’m sure you will remember this) the film Brief Encounter was made. Details of tickets are on previous blogs but suffice to say phone should you wish to see this extravaganza call 01865 820375 and ask for Betty.

As days before play openings go this week has been quite tame. As I’ve mentioned before there have been some enthusiastic fallings out over the years at the final rehearsals of many a show.

Last Saturday we braved the storms and went to the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham and saw ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ a particular TV favourite of mine. Not everyone’s cup of tea perhaps but I find the television show pleasant and of course it’s one of the few programmes on of late that caters for people over the age of twelve.

The stage production was a bit of a disappointment. The three main characters were excellent portrayals of their television counterparts but the storyline introduced heavy parts for new personnel not in the TV show and I couldn’t really see the point of that, but perhaps it’s me.

So whilst at the Everyman I pick up their programme for the coming season and it’s packed with dramas, comedies and thrillers many of which I should like to see. Many of these productions are of course touring the country’s theatres and they can also be seen in the programmes for Bath and Windsor but not Oxford. Am I the only one who receives the programme for the Playhouse offerings and thinks “Good grief”? I’ll stop now before depress myself further.

Back to the amateur dramatics. Old Chuffer was at rehearsals last night, looking resplendent in his best bib and tucker for his Noel Coward rendering of ‘Don’t be beastly to the Hun’. His characterisation hinted more than a little of Winston Churchill to the point he gave me a cigar. Good old Winnie!

Now, it's late fall and the Indians on a remote reservation in South Dakota asked their new chief if the coming winter was going to be cold or mild.

Since he was a chief in a modern society, he had never been taught the old secrets. When he looked at the sky, he couldn't tell what the winter was going to be like.

Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, he told his tribe that the winter was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the village should collect firewood to be prepared.

But, being a practical leader, after several days, he got an idea. He went to the phone booth, called the National Weather Service and asked, 'Is the coming winter going to be cold?'

'It looks like this winter is going to be quite cold,' the meteorologist at the weather service responded.

So the chief went back to his people and told them to collect even more firewood in order to be prepared.

A week later, he called the National Weather Service again. 'Does it still look like it is going to be a very cold winter?'

'Yes,' the man at National Weather Service again replied, 'it's going to be a very cold winter.'

The chief again went back to his people and ordered them to collect every scrap of firewood they could find.

Two weeks later, the chief called the National Weather Service again. 'Are you absolutely sure that the winter is going to be very cold?'

'Absolutely,' the man replied. 'It's looking more and more like it is going to be one of the coldest winters we've ever seen.'

'How can you be so sure?' the chief asked.

The weatherman replied, 'The Indians are collecting firewood like crazy.'