Face To Face, 12th August

College Cruisers, Oxford

Being close to Chipping Norton I’d been hoping to be able to meet up with the Production Manager for panto at the theatre to be able to discuss solutions for a couple of things, but this meeting sadly was not going to happen.

Model pieces all laid out

Trying to get everyone needed for an online final model meeting is proving difficult, next week there isn’t a day when the Director, myself and the Costume Designer can all be on line at the same time. In the mean time I’d been in touch with David the Director to see if we could meet up and actually be in the same room as each other with the model. We arranged to meet this morning.

David’s sister used to have a narrowboat, so despite me suggesting meeting in Chippy at the theatre, the meeting was always going to be on board Oleanna.

It’s been over a year since we first started talking about Rapunzel and today is the first time we’ve actually got to meet face to face rather than on line. David is a tall man, his head brushed against Oleanna’s ceiling!

He’s quite a nice Tom

Mick made us drinks and then headed off to buy a mouse, giving us more space to spread out. With all the doors and windows open we could almost have been sitting outside. Tilly came in to inspect David, she’s always a touch reluctant to be friendly, but with the assistance of a stick of webbox she can be won round.

Two hours of chatting about the show followed. It’s the first time I’ve shown anyone other than Tilly the model all the way through. Seeing it online isn’t the same as being sat in front of a model, being able to ask questions, pause, go back, move a light around to that detail can be seen that just doesn’t show in photographs. Only one minor adjustment required, which shouldn’t cost anything and a request for a seagull on a stick. At least it wasn’t the moon!

One very happy Director.

Next was shopping. We walked into town to Sainsburys in the Westgate Centre. I checked a couple of things before leaving Mick with the list and headed off to see if I could find some presents. Westgate came up trumps with Next, John Lewis and a branch of Blackwells. So I managed to be back at Sainsburys to add a roll of greaseproof paper to the end of the conveyor as Mick was paying.

A canoe course on the Castle Mill Stream

A detour to the Chinese supermarket on Hythe Bridge Street to stock up on Rice noodles and tapioca starch. That was everything from our shopping list apart from a side of salmon, that could wait for the morning.

0 locks, 0 miles, 2 people in one room boat, 1 meeting, 6ft plus of Director, 1 very happy chappy, 1 downpour, 7 hours! 1 bike fully laden, 2 bags rice sticks, 2 bags tapioca, 0 salmon side, 1 do like knowing my way round a city.