A New Career? Another Downton Adventure.

In the past few months, two ladies I know have said to me that, as they've got older, they feel like they've become invisible. I think that's awful. Why should growing older mean that we can't still be an active participant in life and make a significant contribution? After all, with age we gain experience. Not just in how to do things, but also how not to. The sad thing is, one of them was only in her forties.

I'm not sure what makes them think this way. Perhaps they were just having a bad day, that day. Certainly the older one of the two, didn't strike me as being invisible, in fact quite the opposite.

Well, I know one thing for sure. I'm not prepared to drift into my dotage unseen or unheard. Although I think my family sometimes wish I was less visible.

Of course I have my bad days, when I just want to hide away from the world, I think we all do. But the rest of the time I want to grab any opportunities that come my way to have an adventure, and recently, I was given such an opportunity..

Aurore Chiroix

The director of Cogges Manor Farm, where I volunteer, was contacted by a French journalist, Aurore Chiroix,  from the French television programme, Arte, Invitation au Voyage, Le magazine de L'evasion culturelle, a travel documentary programme. She was planning to do a documentary about locations used in the filming of Downton Abbey, and she wanted permission to come and film at Cogges, which was used as the location of Yew Tree Farm, in the series. She'd heard that the volunteers at Cogges were, 'very passionate', and she asked if he could, 'advise her' of a volunteer who was passionate about both, Cogges and Downton, who'd be willing to be interviewed on film for the documentary. Now I wonder who that reminds me of? As one of my colleagues said, "it had my name written all over it". They were interested in the history of the site, along with it's role in Downton.

Cogges as Yew Tree farm

Aurore contacted me by email to arrange a time when we could speak on the phone. When she responded to the email I sent in return suggesting a couple of options, she said that while doing her research on line, she'd come across my blog and that she, "was very glad to be speaking to me". I was chuffed to bits by this. She also sent me a list of the questions that she would be asking me on the day. Some I could have answered there and then, but others I had to do a bit of research on. Not only did she want to ask about the actual filming, she also wanted to know about the history of Cogges and how what we saw in the programme about life of Farmer Drewe at Yew Tree Farm, compared to the reality of life at Cogges in the 1920's. I also had to find out about the Tax laws introduced by David Lloyd George and how they affected the large estates, something I had no idea about. I do now.

Ann, me and Aurore

So, one Friday morning in October, I met Aurore and her camera woman, Ann, in the old ox byre, which now serves as our reception and shop. I thought that I would be very nervous. But for some reason I wasn't. After all, I was at Cogges, talking about two of my passions, and as a tour guide, it was something I was used to doing.

Aylesbury ducks, with Call duck in middle.

After showing them the house and the areas of the site where filming took place, the interview began. But first we had to remove some items in the kitchen out of shot. The house had been decorated for our half term Halloween events, and Aurore didn't really want bats, pumpkins and spiders in the film.  We started the interview on the Dairy lawn, with the house in the background, then we went back into the kitchen. Aurore, who was a few months pregnant, stood off camera and asked me the questions. Most of the time it was fine, as I'd prepared my answers. But a couple of times she went off script and asked me a question that wasn't in her original email. So we had to stop filming while I had a think about how to answer it. Fortunately, it was mainly my opinion she was after, so I can be forgiven if my answers weren't exactly 100% accurate.

Once the interview was over, Ann, asked me to do some shots, where she filmed me walking and looking around, pretending that there was no camera there. At last my chance to act had arrived. Outside, she then walked around the site taking footage of the buildings and the animals. I won't be in the least surprised if there's more footage of the animals than me in the final cut, especially the ducks and, Bonnie, the cat. Aurore had a cat back home, and she was delighted that both. Bonnie and Patsy, the Cogges' cats, kept following me around. Ann managed to capture a fantastic shot of Bonnie running towards me as I stood beside Ann, with the Aylesbury ducks, plus the little Call duck, which they thought was a duckling, running in a perfect straight line behind her.

Farmer Drewe, Lady Mary and Tom

Finally, we were done. I had such a great time. I asked her where else they were filming, and who else were they interviewing. They'd been to Highclere Castle, where they'd interviewed the Countess, and Bampton, where they spoke with the head of the archives there and then there was me. It made me laugh.

It's going to be aired in January or February. As it's a French television channel, I won't be able to watch it live. But Aurore is going to send ma a link, which she said I should be able to download and keep, and naturally I'll be sharing it in a blog. I'll probably spend my time cringing when I watch it. But who knows? Maybe this could be the start of a whole new career for me?

One thing's for sure, I can't say that I've become visible as I've got older, can I?

Isabel Johnstone 2019 ©

Photos, Isabel's own, or courtesy of Aurore Chiroix.

Arte Invitation au Voyage website.

https://tinyurl.com/y48omgml

Blog on Downton Abbey.

https://tinyurl.com/y5lp9xj6

Red nose day

This cartoon was shared on Facebook, and I think it's a wonderful motto to live by. It's what my blog is supposed to be about, Making life an adventure. Now that I've had cataract surgery and can read and use the computer, I've decided to take up writing again. The problem is, because it's been so long since I've done any writing, I'm not sure what I want to write about. So I've decided to just start writing and see what comes out. One of the reasons I started this blog was to find my 'writer's voice, so as part of this strategy I decided to look back at some of my older blogs and when doing so, I came across the draft for an unfinished one. Well I say unfinished, but in actual fact all I'd done was create a title and added a link to a You Tube video.

Recording video for Oxfam.

This blog is about my, 'adventures', i.e. anything that comes along that I can participate in that, in terms of day to day life seems, 'out of the ordinary'. Being part of the West Oxfordshire Academy of Arts, (WOAPA), Adult Singing group, has been a source of quite a few of my adventures, including doing a flashmob, making a comic video for Oxfam and it's also given me the opportunity to participate in the Big Chorus, Messiah, in the Royal Albert Hall, in London.

The unfinished draft, which I've now decided to finish, was to be about another WOAPA adventure. Brian and Lou, the couple who run WOAPA, had been approached by Radio Oxford who, as part of their Red Nose day celebrations, wanted to create the largest choir in Oxfordshire, to made up of several choirs in the area, and they wanted WOAPA to be part of it. Naturally they said yes.

So it was that myself, along with the rest of my fellow WOAPs, gathered at 7.30 am in the Corn 

Exchange in Witney. The hall was packed, as not only were the adult singers taking part, but the children from the WOAPA Saturday school, the Show choir and also the John Blandy choir, recently started by Brian and Lou, were participating.

There was a great buzz of excitement in the hall, plus a few yawns (mainly from me). Fleur Ostojak, a young journalist from Radio Oxford, was in charge of the proceedings. She explained that we would be recording three songs. The first one, Good Morning Baltimore, from the musical, Hairspray, would be played live on air. Then the other two songs would be recorded to be played later on that morning. The third song, the comedy hit, Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, was chosen by the BBC as the one to be sung by all five choirs, and it would be played at the end of the show.

At last Fleur was given the signal that we were about to go live. She introduced us, then gave the signal for us to start. There must have been about two hundred children and adults singing and the sound was amazing. There were cheers all round after we'd finished singing and had been given the all clear. Fleur was very impressed with the sound me made, as was the presenter of the show because, instead of us recording our second song, a mash up of A Million Dreams,  and, From Now On, from The Greatest Showman, he decided that we should sing this one live on air too. Fleur also asked Lou if Radio Oxford could use us again in the future; and of course she said yes. So a few minutes later we sang live again, although it was also recorded to be played later in the day. After recording the final song, we went outside and sang the third one again to our proud family and friends, who had to wait outside while we were recording, and to people passing by on their way to work. A passing bus even tooted us in support.

Us on the local news.

£63,548,668 was raised for Comic Relief that day. It was a privilege to have been a part of it. The largest choir in Oxfordshire was featured on the local news that evening, and it is from this footage that I've sourced my photos. Brian, from WOAPA, has put together the You Tube video footage on the link below. A lovely reminder of a wonderful morning.




You Tube video of the morning. courtesy of WOAPA, https://youtu.be/WvzHnwAInwU

Photos Isabel's own, plus.

Snoopy cartoon, courtesy of: https://www.facebook.com/purpleclvr/photos/a.375609882543951/3006363792801867/?type=3&theater

The Future is a Blank Page.

"The future is a blank page. That's the best thing. It's also the worst thing. " Adele Sullivan, October 2019. 

Finally, after two years of struggling with my sight, I can see clearly once again. I now just have to wear spectacles for reading. But then again, so do most of my contemporaries. I am a, 'lady of a certain age'  after all.

For anyone who doesn't know what I'm talking about. Two years ago my vision became very blurry, especially when I tried to read or use a computer. A bit of a problem as I was currently in my final year of doing a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree, in Humanities, with Classical Studies, which required a great deal of reading, in both books and on the computer. Somehow I managed it and was extremely proud to graduate in October, 2018.

Initially, the doctors thought my problems were due to excessive dryness, caused by my Lupus. But when I developed double vision in my left eye, further investigation revealed that, although my sight was being affected by the dryness, I also had cataracts in both eyes, with the left eye needing surgery as soon as possible. Six months on from this diagnosis, I'm pleased to say that both eyes have been successfully operated on and with the aid of several types of drops and a minor procedure, I can now 'see a future', (forgive the pun).

While I was studying, I had to put on hold my plan to explore whether I could become a serious writer, and it was my intention to pursue this course of action once I'd graduated. But because of the problems I was experiencing with my sight, I've haven't been able to do so; until now. The trouble is, because I haven't written anything more than a Christmas card in over two years, I'd even stopped writing my blog. I've been suffering a crisis of confidence. I even found myself not enjoying reading other people's work as I spent the time convincing myself that I could never write like them. Well of course I can't, because I'm not them.

One evening after a couple of glasses of wine, I posted about my concerns on Facebook. My lovely Facebook friends responded with some very encouraging comments. The quote at the top of this blog page being one of them. This was all very encouraging, although the little voice inside was still whispering away.

But the universe wasn't about to let me get away with it. Since that evening I've been 'visited', like Scrooge, by three 'ghosts'. What do I mean by this?

The first, 'ghost' was in the guise of an author who was speaking at a University of the Third Age, (U3A), meeting I attended. He'd always wanted to be a writer, but had waited until he was 38 years old before starting to write. He said that the only way to become a writer was to simply just start writing.

The second 'ghost' was Julian Fellowes, the writer of Downton Abbey, one of my heroes. I watched an interview in which he said, that people seem to wait for that warm feeling inside to tell them when it's time to start writing. But that doesn't happen, you just need to sit down and start to write. Sound familiar?

Finally, the third 'ghost' was something I saw on a Facebook friend's page, who felt compelled to share a post from Writer's HQ, saying, 'Write your f*****g novel ffs'.  The language may be a bit choice, but I got the message.

So here I am. Writing my first blog post in months. Inside I'm dancing like Ebeneezer Scrooge on Christmas day, because I too am glad to find that it's not too late.  Thanks to Adele, my Facebook friends and the three 'ghosts', I'm going to just get on with it. After all, 'The future is a blank page'.


Photographs and images, Isabel's own.

Isabel Johnstone 2019  ©