Melissa Barker-Simpson

If we were having coffee, the first thing I’d do is apologise for my attire. I’m wearing what my girls’ call my ‘mom pants’ because they have plenty of room for slouching, which I plan to do for the rest of the day. It’s been a long week.

The conversation would no doubt turn to Comic Relief, as it was Red Nose Day yesterday. I’m always humbled by the work that goes on for the charity. The videos are difficult to watch, but they are important. We are at our strongest when we share the love in our hearts, show compassion and make a difference in whatever way we can. It might be donating our resources, time, money, expertise – it doesn’t matter as long as we unite and offer our support.

The charity has been running for many years and, since laughter is an emotion which connects us all, even when we are at our lowest, Comic Relief provides the goods every single time. Last night we got to see Little Britain (with an appearance by Professor Stephen Hawking), Mr Bean, The Vicar of Dibley, and that’s just for starters. Daniel Craig made an appearance, and though he didn’t jump out of a plane with The Queen this year, he did provide an entertaining sketch – an expose on the true voice behind Bond!

This would lead to a little comic relief of my own, because just talking about voices makes me want to confess. I have a slight obsession, and since Tom Hiddleston was involved in Comic Relief this year, we’ll start with him. As Loki he lights up the screen, and I’m sure most of the universe would agree with that – he is a god after all. I’m not sure what it is about his cultured tones that makes me want to record his voice on a loop, I’ve stopped questioning it! Perhaps it’s his impressions, or his confidence…whatever it is, I watch his interviews far more than I should. My other slightly unhealthy obsession is listening to James McAvoy. He’s mesmerising, and it’s not only his voice. But we won’t get started on that subject, it’s a long road and you’re probably already reaching for your phone. A little intervention if you will!

As if to cement the deal, or my session on a long, leather couch, I’ve become a little distracted by the audio book of Yesterday’s Gone. Ray Chase is the voice of character, Boricio Wolfe and he had me at the first syllable. The strange thing is, Boricio is a despicable character. He’s a serial killer, and I’m not talking Dexter material. He is offensive in every way, though he doesn’t discriminate when it comes to poking fun at people, so there’s equal opportunities in there somewhere. When I’m reading an episode from the series, I find his language grating, but when the lines are delivered by Ray, I’m often amused. Boricio has his own twitter account, so I’m not the only one who finds him strangely entertaining. You’ll be happy to know I’m not stalking an imaginary person, so I won’t be subscribing – you can put the phone away now. 

If we were having coffee you would have noticed my mind is all over the place this morning, and I can’t keep still (there goes my lazy day). I spent several hours in a film studio yesterday and it took its toll. Translating English into BSL is often fun, but when you’re acting as a language monitor, it can be exhausting.

After I had switched to drinking water (no more coffee for me), we would no doubt head over to Diana’s place. It’s great to hang out with everyone else and I’m sure none of our coffee friends would object to ‘mom pants’.

Speaking of which, it’s Mother’s Day here in the UK tomorrow. A day when my girls pick up after themselves, do things other than talk on the phone to their friends, or lock themselves in their room. The pots will be washed, there will be no arguments or teenage hormones, homework will be done, bedrooms will get tidied…oh all right, I might get a nice meal out of the deal, but it was good to dream for a minute.

I’m going to leave you with a clip of Sam Smith (featuring John Legend), singing Lay Me Down (Red Nose Day 2015).

Have a great weekend. Thanks, as always, for stopping by.
Mel