The doctor, A Man For All Seasons and a late night chat

1. I very rarely visit the doctors surgery. Mine is the Heworth Green Surgery. I have been perhaps twice in the nearly eight years that I have lived in York. One of those times was about someone else. I decided it would be good to have a little papilla growth that has been on the under part of my right eye for some time. I arrived for my appointment, the receptionist was sweet and friendly and almost immediately, certainly within a couple of minutes of the stated time the doctor turned up. Within moments the offensive little wart was gone and we chatted about titanium and the document management system now used by the NHS. It was very amicable and objective. What was beautiful for me was that my expectations had been low and the reality proved to be calm, efficient and cordial. The doctor by the way, a very handsome middle-aged bloke, can definitely be added to the role of honourable and gorgeous men in York.

2. In the evening I went with Allan to see "A Man For All Seasons" at The Theatre Royal. I don't often get caught up emotionally with the story in a play because unlike the cinema, I generally don't get so engrossed or engaged so as to forget that it is going on on a stage. I got completely sucked in. I moistened, I gasped and the whole drama seemed to be reflecting something about the moral and ethical dilemmas rolling about in my little mind. I came away feeling as if I had been through two and half hours of intensive therapy. It was extraordinary. The cast were convincing and powerful men and women. The actor Mark Frost who played Cromwell was extraordinary. Its a huge, sharp and fast paced piece which Mark Frost delivered so believably I occasionally wanted to jump up onto the stage and stop him from being so mean. And the lead character Sir Thomas Moore was played by a Theatre Royal regular David Leonard. He usually plays the baddie in the annual Berwick Kaler pantomime but in this he embodied the considerate and moral gentleman that might have been Moore. I got so much from this play about staying true to what you feel is right, about being canny enough to keep your mouth shut at the right moment and about resisting the temptation to take an easy path when a difficult one presents itself.

3. There is nothing so good to me, as a long late night chat. Its very nourishing and sets me up for a good nights sleep and happy dreams. It helps of course to talk to someone who actually gives a shit about whether one lives or dies, it makes a difference if the conversation is two way and not just an ugly blurting. The subject matter could be almost anything and doesn't absolutely have to settle anything either. I had a good one tonight.