Well, who hasn't? When old friends meet up after many years, it's good to share. And when old people need to share, it's good to have friends who understand what you are going through. Helen and Pattie have a lot of catching up to do. Helen and her daughter Janey seem to be happy enough to keep their own counsel—for the time.

Cast: Jane Vicary as Pattie

Flloyd Kennedy as Helen and Janey

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The bond between grandparent and grandchild can be very special, and also sometimes it can turn into a minefield. Janey is not happy that Helen knew about Susie's boyfriend before she did. And Helen receives a surprise package with no return address. Memories can also be a minefield, with unexploded bombs lying in wait. As if surviving a pandemic weren't challenging enough, family relationships still need to be tended and mended. This episode also includes the track "There's No Such Place as Away" from Awkward Strangers.

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It is a sign of the times that a phone call from an unknown caller has to be assumed to be a scammer. Helen decides to take them on, but she gets more than she bargained for. And is sweet Susie turning into a banshee? This episode also includes the song "Sometimes I Think".

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Janey is nothing like her mother... however, one simple phone call could change all that. Some daughters love to confide in their mothers, but Janey has a secret she really doesn't want Helen to know about. And vice versa. Who will give way first? Could it be that they are actually like two peas in a pod?

• Cast - Helen, Janey are played by Flloyd Kennedy.

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Send us a Text Message.

I wrote this poem last July, shortly after the first lockdown began to open up. The acting college where I had been teaching voice part time prior to lockdown invited me to come back into the studio to teach, and I didn't consider it safe—for myself, or for the students—so I declined.  It occurred to me that I would almost certainly never be offered such  work again.  I had been extremely lucky to have kept on teaching at the tertiary level for as long as I had, well into my 70s.

Thoughts on ageing weren't new to me. But this seemed more pressing, especially with all the understanding by that stage that anyone over 80 was especially vulnerable to Covid-19. When 80 is only 4 years away, and those years are accelerating  by faster than  a Formula 1 car driven by Jensen Button, it feels like tomorrow.

Hence this poem.

It was published in October 2020 as part of the collection "Sunsets & Kites", which is available from Amazon online.

Enjoy!  And stay safe.

Image courtesy @gsultangeorge

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• Thanks for listening. Stay safe.

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Helen seeks peace and quiet in the garden (note to self: don’t take the phone with you). Susie is being harassed by Janey. Janey receives a surprise challenge from Georgie. Georgie is sworn to secrecy. How many secrets can one family sustain?

Cast: Georgie -Allana Noyes

Helen, Janey - Flloyd Kennedy

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Sparks fly when daughter Janey comes for lunch, and when the phone rings, Helen is challenged by an old friend to see things from a slightly different angle.

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Helen has a crisis in the kitchen, but is it because she is old, or just stupid? 102-year-young Nana from next door has something to say on the subject. Meanwhile, Helen still hasn't told Janey about the book.

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Helen may have let something slip that she'd rather her family didn't know about. And daffodils from Janey's garden won't help. But she's delighted to receive a call from her Great Niece, Georgie, (Allana Noyes) now living and working in Sydney. Sometimes it helps to have connections...

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Helen is pleased to discover that she didn't upset her very elderly neighbour, who has set her a puzzle instead. Granddaughter Susie calls up, seeking advice on her uni assignment. And what is Alexa on about?

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