Jeni Barnett

I taught Millie this morning, a clever, delightful 14 year old who is as sharp as a tack. I gave her a baton and asked her to conduct Barbara Streisand singing ‘Rainbow Connection’. 3/4 time and charming. We watched Sir John Barbirolli, then Alondra de la Parra conducting ‘Ravels Bolero’, which gave me the brainwave … Read more

Well worra week its been. The trees are falling to bits – to quote Laurie Lee – orange and crimson leaves all over the path. On Wednesday I had a blood transfusion, my bloody haemoglobin levels were so low that it was deemed necessary to hang two bags of vital fluid higher than my head … Read more

Pink sox, blue jeans, grey t-shirt and a purple sweater, my attire for the day at the seaside. I wear very old trainers that are falling apart but are the most comfortable of footlingwear. I drove through the falling leaves, arriving in Brighton by lunchtime. I parked the car in Hove actually. It took me … Read more

I had no idea my posts caused such consternation. I thought I was being funny. But people are telling me what a bad time I’m having. What a grizzly, awful place I’m in. That were I not staying alive I should really be dead. I’m ok, really I am, although everything is like looking at … Read more

In 1980 I was filming a sit-com in Boreham Wood, when a young man chased me up the corridor. ‘We’d like you to be the girl on Parky’ he said. I told him to go way. TVam was a brand new breakfast programme and Michael Parkinson, one of the owners of the channel, was looking … Read more

I went to London I went to London on the train. I went to London on a train to do a voice over. Like old times. Didn’t know if I would make it as my legs don’t carry me in the same way. But after putting on me dungarees and a new t-shirt. I travelled … Read more

On Saturday I drove us to a wedding in Surrey I drove like an arsehole and got us lost on the way there, and on the way back. If we had set off to get to Uzbekistan we would have done less mileage. The bride wore white, I wore trainers. The brides mother wore green … Read more

There are about 70 million of us rubbing along together in Great Britain. Let’s say 70%, (there are fewer than that ) are immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees; that still leaves 49 million of us with white faces and St George’s flags flapping on our concrete forecourts. So what the fuck is Nigel-don’t-call-me-a-racist-Farage worried about? … Read more

Phase two of the Kidney Kapers. I had dialysis on Wednesday. Back to four hours but I’m coping by self medicating with acupuncture needles and two known points. One in the hand one in the foot, so I’m able to tolerate the jumpy legs and dry mouth, Having said that Wednesday was a big day. … Read more

Tinkerbell Schneider is my porn name. Trixie McVay is the old gits. You can find yours by taking your mothers maiden name and your first pets pawname. My mother’s family were all tailors – hence Schneider -but to get accepted in 1930’s England my grandpa anglecised them and turned them into Taylors. I was brought … Read more