Acting is all about honesty, if you can fake that you can fake anything.
Jeni Barnett Dominic Cummins, the voice of reason, the speaker of truth? Boris Johnson, the Son of Satan the husband of Charybdis…..Honestly I’ve been waiting for the mist to clear before I even think about it but it’s like swimming in a bowl of scone batter, like I’m standing behind a glass window watching everything that’s happening … Read more
Outside the studio we’ve planted runner beans and lettuce, beetroot and courgettes. On the other side of the path there’s two rows of kale, garlic, broadbeans and some pac choy. I scattered over organic slug deterrent, I lay sliced cucumber on metal trays to deter the snails – they don’t like the smell. This morning … Read more
Disputes from the bank to an ancient friend Arguments from the DVLA to Scottish Power. Fraud in one bank Then fraud in another. In days of yore the family astrologer would have looked to see if Mars was in retrograde. We had a new moon the other night so maybe all this lunatic activity is … Read more
As a teenager I spent an inordinate amount of time practicing my signature on the cover of my rough book. Jen Barnett/jj barnett/Jennifer Joy/Jeni with a circle over the ‘i’, Jenufa and Kim. I had a mind to be called Kim Kent but my mother told me it sounded like a swear word so I … Read more
Chicken soup is to the Jews what the blood of Christ is to the Catholics. You cannot come from the Russian Diaspora without knowing about the bird of youth. Mrs Gold, in 1953, took her big Kosher hen into the public baths in Whitechapel, and behind closed doors scrubbed it under the hot water tap. … Read more
I was thinking about funerals, what with the Queen’s Escort and Helen McCrory, I was thinking how sombre and dignified the piper was as he played out the lament on his bagpipes. I was so shocked and saddened by the death of Ms M. that I felt the helplessness that we all feel in the … Read more
We lived in East London. Watney Street. Solander Gardens. I went to Cannon Barnet in Aldgate East. I was dark skinned and one of the many Jewish kids at the school. We non C-of-E pupils skipped assembly and stood in separate dinner lines from the Gentiles. They had milky custard whilst ours was made from … Read more
My family are immigrants. The old gits family are immigrants. Most of my friends are from Irish, Indian, Caribbean or some other shipped-in stock. Given that the earth is home to 7.674 billion people it wouldn’t be surprising if all of us aren’t related to me or to somebody who knows me or to somebody … Read more
I sat in the garden, with Dennis the cat, my face to the sky like a sunflower, I ate a salad with fennel and my new best ingredient chile oil. The cottage is filled with Irish music, because however lethargic I am I cannot resist a little jig to a band of drummers and penny … Read more
Meghan and Harry? I really can’t be arsed. She said what she said, whether it was fake, or true or just a brilliant acting job, she said what she said. Whether it was learnt, remembered or improvised she had her say. Harry stood by her, sat by her, holding her hand whilst she said what … Read more