Can Any Mother Help Me?

This play is based on the book 'Can Any Mother Help Me?; by Jenna Bailey. In 1935, a young mother wrote a letter to a magazine, asking readers for help. She was lonely and frustrated, stuck at home with two children, unable to express her thoughts and ideas. The letter struck a chord with women all over the country and someone suggested they start a private magazine.

And so the Cooperative Correspondence Club, or CCC, was born. The women wrote about every aspect of their lives - the pain and elation of childbirth, the challenges of marriage, broken hearts and fading dreams. None of them could have anticipated the friendships that would grow nor that the magazine would last their lifetimes.

The play opens in a 1930s world of teacups and Vim where young mothers exchange childcare tips in the pages of “Nursery World”. The Foursight Theatre Company has captured the essence of the lives, times and personalities of the assorted women who committed half a century of joys, fears and sorrows to paper. At first, it’s a bit like a schoolgirl club. Everyone has a pen name - Isis, Angharad, Cotton Goods – not forgetting Ad Astra the indomitable headmistress cum editor-in-chief who masterminds the enterprise. The club is secret especially from husbands and has rules “members must be mothers”, “no footnotes”. Developed by members of the company, this play is an exquisite evocation of the friendships fostered between the women who made up the CCC. With the passing years the magazine becomes a place where they can not only be themselves, but where they can grow up and grow old together. Fine, well paced performances from all members of the cast are complemented by a well chosen set and lighting that captures the dinginess of the mid 20th century British home. Funny, entertaining, moving and above all truthful, this is a first rate piece of theatre.

Lionel Blue, a British Reform Rabbi and Broadcaster

He appeared at the Kings Southsea last night. He is best known for his wry and gentle sense of humour on "Thought for the Day" on BBC Radio 4's Today programme. Blue is 80 and still performing, his kindness and common sense shines through. At times he appeared to lose his thread but quickly recovered. He is known to millions through his broadcasting on BBC Radio. Many others know him from his numerous TV appearances and his books, among them 'Bolts from the Blues' and 'Simply Divine'. Using his own experiences and offbeat sense of humour, Rabbi Lionel Blue told a selection of stories, incidents and conversations whose dotty inconsequential flavour will appeal to people from all religions, and from none. He’s thoughtful and funny with it, mixing humour with humility, compassion and common sense. He talks about the people he has known with affection and about himself with a delicious sense of the ridiculous. He can spot when his dog is having an existential crisis and knows that the best cure for insomnia is a straight-from-the-tin baked bean feast. “My aim”, Lionel said, “is to give people the courage to get out of bed”. He made me feel better by recounting that as he's got older his life has got better. His 60's were good, but his 70's were even better. At the interval and at the end he was available to sign books and share thoughts. What a lovely guy.

Help For Heroes

My friend Stella Astbury is also involved in the community and does a lot of charity work. Last Saturday, 21st March, she was a major player in the 'Colossal Cake Sale' which took place in the Brook Centre Winchester. From the Fareham and Gosport area Stella took 80 large cakes, around 250 small cakes plus biscuits jams and chutneys. Donations are still arriving in lieu of purchases but the total she has to date is around £4,000!! Just from selling cakes! She said it was a very special day. The spirit was amazing, everyone involved was just fantastic, even if it was just coming and ' buying a cake for a Hero', or sending a donation, and then those who 'baked a cake for a Hero', kneaded, iced and packaged and delivered the BEAUTIFUL cakes of all descriptions were just fantastic. There were so many cakes they lost count, but there must have been upwards of 1500 cakes, teabreads, scones, cupcakes, flapjacks, meringues, brownies, biscuits, jams, chutneys etc etc. It was quite overwhelming...... none of them believed they would sell them all, but by 4pm the last cake had gone! The Mayor bought a cake and they had the most wonderful man in kilt playing the bagpipes which attracted people from all around the town and gave the day a great sense of occasion. She is fellow organiser for 'Contact The Elderly' in Gosport-Fareham. Help for Heroes is a very worthy charity.

April Fool's Broken Promise

What is this about? A promise our 'Esteemed' Prime Minister made. Fuel duty is set to rise by roughly 2 pence per litre on April 1st meaning that 66 pence of the average litre of fuel goes directly to the Treasury. Fuel tax goes into a central government tax pot. It's not necessarily allocated back out to motoring, so fuel tax can be spent on anything – the NHS, housing, pensions or even banking bailouts. At the height of soaring pump prices Brown made a promise during Prime Minister's Questions on July 16th 2008 not to raise fuel duty for a year. He stated: "In recognition of the problem people face with petrol, we are freezing duty on petrol for the full year." Brown broke this promise in December 2008 when he added 2 pence per litre to fuel duty to offset the reduction of VAT to 15% - a move which angered UK hauliers who are able to claim fuel VAT back, but not fuel duty. He is set to break the promise for a second time on April 1st when fuel duty on unleaded and diesel will rise 1.84 pence per litre. Including the additional 15% VAT on top this will make the rise at the pumps around 2 pence per litre. The Treasury have said that the only time further changes to fuel duty can take place are at the next Budget – which has been postponed from March until April 22nd, after the duty rise comes in. Do you think the Budget has been postponed to push through a duty rise unchallenged? Do you think it's fair that 71% of the cost of a litre of fuel goes directly to the Treasury? Should Brown be held to account for breaking his promise not to raise fuel duty?

Ban Alcopops

They taste just like fizzy pop and are one of the reasons we have a destructive binge drinking culture. Sir Liam Donaldson, the chief medical officer for England, makes alcohol abuse the main focus of his annual report. But suggesting that low-cost drink is heavily taxed is not the answer. Pandora should never have been let out of the box in the first place. When Bass launched Hooch lemonade in 1995 even I could predict it would lead to a disaster. Hooch has since disappeared but it paved the way for the billion pound market which is now dominated by the likes of Smirnoff Ice, Bacardi Breezer, WKD, Reef and Red Square. I'm guessing that alcopops earn the government lots of tax so I can't envisage any sort of ban. As a youngster I loved fizzy pop and all things sweet. I hated booze because it tasted bitter and disgusting. In my twenties I developed a taste for sweet cider. By this time I was married with two young children money, was short so it was only an occasional treat. Everyone lived within their means because there was no such thing as credit or credit cards. One either made do and mended or went without. Being ever resourceful I learned how to make country wine from fruit leaves and vegetables. Once the equipment had been purchased it was cheap, easy and very tasty. The garden shed was full of 1 gallon demijohns and I became a regular tippler. So began my love affair with alcohol. The first time I got totally plastered I was 27. I had just failed my first driving test, felt sorry for myself and drank too much. Very strong Dandelion wine was the culprit. I'd followed a very old country recipe which advised gathering the flowers at midday on St Georges day. Both children had beach buckets and we gathered them in a local field. Being so drunk was a nightmare, my entire body felt like it was made from cotton wool and the real me was trapped inside this stupid body. But once I had recovered from the horrendous hangover I wasn't put off. In my thirties my life changed. I had a different husband, a proper job and a lot more money. My second husband liked his booze and encouraged me to drink. Alcohol was treated like a reward for stress. At the weekend lunchtime was the signal to start on the wine and quite often we'd drink and not eat, on holiday we'd often start at breakfast time. It felt hedonistic and was a world away from my previous life. And so began my descent into alcohol dependency.

Self Indulgence

L'Oreal's selling point is, 'Because I'm worth it!' We willingly respond to his subliminal message by constantly reward ourselves. We convince ourselves that we are special but the truth is that we are self absorbed, self-indulgent spineless idiots. So why can't we exercise self-restraint, and self-denial? Why are we so weak? Fire-fighters are being called out at least once a day to lift obese patients weighing as much as 40st into an ambulance or on to a hospital bed. Thousands of individuals are claiming incapacity benefit as a direct result of obesity. Middle aged, professional Britons are more likely to exceed recommended daily levels of alcohol consumption than the working-classes, with twice as many drinking every night of the week. They do not believe they are drinking too much and that simply having a large glass or two of wine each evening is an acceptable way to unwind after a stressful day at work. Wine is presented in such a way the bottles appear to contain something precious. Since potential buyers can’t taste it, the bottle design and label seduces them. NHS spends 3billion on treating liver disease. Doctors report that people don't want to give up smoking because it costs too much, they want to quit for health reasons. Having an addictive personality isn't easy but I keep it under control. I was once a moderate smoker but gave it up over 20 years ago. For many years I was gripped by alcoholism but am now tee-total. Giving up was extremely difficult, I was successful but I do know that not everyone has my strength of character.

Card Skimmers In Store

A friend was duped by criminals. She used the self service checkout in Asda Portsmouth and Hey Presto! £100 disappeared out of her account. I've used self service tills but the prospect of being a victim has put me off. I'll stick to Tesco Cosham, a small friendly store. "CUSTOMERS from three major banks have reported that their cards have been cloned in recent weeks. Initially, it was thought only Barclays customers had been affected. At first, investigation into the thefts centred around the Gosport branch of Asda after bank customers reported using chip-and-pin machines before losing money. But bank customers from Portsmouth have now come forward to say they have been targeted too. Customers reported money being withdrawn from their accounts in Canada and China. Banks, the supermarket chain and police are all involved in a probe into the incidents and are checking whether they are linked."