it's nearly over

Filming is finished and the reinstatement has begun. Soon, really quite soon, our hall will be purple no longer. Now that it's going, I'm growing quite fond of it - not fond enough to keep it, but fond. I'm also rather dreading leaving our little dolls-house flat and returning to 'real' life. Life without domestic responsibilities is really rather blissful, particularly now my husband and I have resolved the wallpaper issue (i.e. he's given in). On Saturday, I shall pick up the dogs. I'm hoping it's true they have no sense of time, but I fear I shall have to do a bit of crawling before they forgive their extended abandonment in kennels.

The budgies, who remained at home, have also had their own adventure in the shape of an unexpected visitor. Astutely realising that the dogs were no longer in residence, next door's cat, who has long anticipated a budgie-shaped snack, availed itself of the dogflap and took a flying leap at the cage, plunging it, budgies and himself straight onto the floor. Flap flap flip flap. Miaow, piaow, miaow. Clang. Clang. Birdseed everywhere. Water everywhere. Feathers everywhere. Dignity shredded, the cat slunk off. Heart attacks were predicted for the birds. However once righted and back on the window sill, they appeared completely unmoved. Much discussion ensued. I mean to say, given that both birds should be dead, are ours particularly brave or particularly thick? Whichever, they are certainly survivors although once we move home again and things are back to normal, they'll probably die immediately - of boredom.

Oh - and for those who wanted to know, I did go home during the filming for some sneak previews and can thus confirm that Gina McKee is as beautiful offscreen as she is on, and is witty and charming to boot, and that Jeremy Northam, though a little more weather-worn than he was as Ivor Novello, is just the sort of man who would grace a drawing room. But my goodness is it unglam, making stuff for tv. Hours of preparation for seconds of filming. You don't just need acting skills, you need the patience of Job.