So this is Cardiff,…. hmmm well the weather is good,..and I have to say the 1930’s is a pretty period,… I have spent quite a few hours looking at, and thinking through, all the references Christine had found,….I thought I was going to get away with not having to do finger waves, but then Anne Reid who is playing Mrs Thackery produced a picture of her mum, 1936, “Would it be possible for me to look like that ?…..Christine said yes,… and I knew I was looking at 3 months of working on my waves,… good practice, and Anne was great fun to talk too, especially when we found out we had a similar private passion, – musical theatre !.

Any chance and the make-up bus background music was changed to something we could both hum. Eileen and I talked straight theatre, while we worked out her look for the day, depending on whether Amy Roberts ( our costume designer ) had given her a hat or not, if she was inside, asleep, or at a cocktail party. She was game for anything so long as it made sense,… I decided the hair combs, pins etc told the story of all her travels, if you look carefully you will see, Maori bone carvings, Venetian glass, a South African wooden ring, and some Chinese beads all used to hold her long pony tail in place,…I don’t have a story for the metal tassels for the cocktail party,.. they just looked,…. right.
I am also looking after Helen Bradbury and Neil Jackson,.. two downstairs staff members who’s looks do not change a lot, but whose company I really enjoy….all in all, this is turning out to be quite fun.